Sudhakar Jha
... Read More
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy.
Written By: Sudhakar Jha | Published : September 6, 2018 3:27 PM IST
While some suggest that physically active women are at lower risk of menopause before 45, others have found exactly opposite © Shutterstock
Exercising and physical fitness have always been linked to better health in men and women both, but there have been conflicting studies for women in relation to intense exercising and menopause. While some suggest that physically active women are at lower risk of menopause before 45, others have found exactly opposite.
This recent study, which was published in the journal Human Reproduction, analysed data from 1,07,275 women, who had joined the Nurses Health Study II in 1989, for 21 long years and concluded that there was no association between physical activity at any age and early menopause.
Study author, Dr Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Massachusetts, USA, reportedly said, Our study provides considerable information in helping us understand the relationship between activity and timing of menopause; this is because of its size, its focus on early menopause specifically, and because of its prospective design, which limited the likelihood of bias and allowed us to look at physical activity at different time periods.
The nurses, aged 25-42, who were enrolled in the Nurses Health Study II in 1989 were asked to complete a set of questionnaires about their lifestyles and medical conditions every two years thereafter. They were asked to report about their recreational physical activities such as walking, running, cycling, racquet sports, swimming laps, aerobic activities, yoga, weight training and high-intensity activities such as lawn mowing.
While assessing the frequency, duration and intensity of the physical activities, the researchers multiplied the hours per week of every activity by its metabolic equivalent (MET) score and created a total MET-hours per week.
During the 21 years of that study, 2,786 women experienced natural menopause before the age of 45. The researchers found that there was no significant difference in the risk of early menopause between women who reported less than three MET hours a week and the ones who reported 42 or more hours a week.
Dr Mingfei Zhao, the first author of the paper reportedly said, While our results do not suggest that more physical activity is associated with lower risk of early menopause, we would encourage premenopausal women to be physically active, as exercise is associated with a range of health benefits, such as a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer and other conditions. Our results in no way suggest that premenopausal women should not be physically active.
