By Jimmy Downs

Friday Sept 28, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study in Menopause suggests that women who experience early menopause may be at higher risk for heart attack and stroke compared to those whose menopause occurs at a later age.

Melissa Wellons, M.D., at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and colleagues conducted the study and found the association between early menopause and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in U.S. women and this study reminds women with early menopause that measures need to be taken to reduce risk fo cardiovascular disease, including lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and excess body weight ,Wellons said.

Wellons et al. analysed data from 2,509 women enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), with 693 reporting surgical or natural early menopause at the age of 46 years or younger. 

European, African-American, Hispanic and Asian women with early menopause were twice as likely as those experiencing menopause at an older age to suffer cardiovascular disease including heart attack and stroke.

The study merely found an association, which may not be causal.  Women with early menopause were more likely to be smokers, have type 2 diabetes, obesity or overweight, all of which are linked to high risk of cardiovascular disease.

"This is an observational study, so my colleagues and I can't conclude that early menopause is the cause of future cardiovascular disease," Wellons said.

"But our findings do support the use of age at menopause as a marker of future heart and vascular disease risk. Clinicians should consider asking questions about menopause when collecting a female patient's medical history."

Women with early menopause are less likely to have breast cancer, compared to those who have a late menopause because their sex hormone estrogen levels are lower.  Women who have their first period earlier are more likely to experience menopause late and they are at higher risk for breast cancer.

However, hormone replacement therapy should not be considered a preventative against heart disease because the therapy has been associated with increased risk of breast cancer and heart disease.