A new study gives women another pretty good incentive to lose weight:  a measurable improvement in the severity of hot flashes.

Details of the Research

The study was conducted by Alison J. Huang, MD and her team from the University of California in San Francisco and is currently being published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.  Dr. Huang and her team selected a group of 338 overweight and obese women to take part in either an intense diet and exercise program or a health education class.
The goal of the behavioral program was to lose 7-9% of body weight over the course of six months.  The participants were required to exercise for at least 200 minutes per week; they also adhered to a 1,200 -1,500 calorie diet for the duration.

Conversely, the other group of women attended four, hour long health education classes per week.
The average age of study participants was 53; prior to the study, 154 of them complained of bothersome hot flashes, or hot flushes, as they were referred to by the researchers.  141 of these women provided data on their symptoms six months after the trial.

Study Results

The researchers discovered that women who took part in the intense weight loss program had twice the odds of measurable improvement in the severity of their hot flash symptoms as those who merely attended classes.  Specifically, severity reduction was associated with decreases in waist size, BMI and actual body weight.
The team’s conclusion?  “Among women who were overweight or obese and had bothersome hot flushes, an intensive behavioral weight loss intervention resulted in improvement in flushing relative to control,” writes Dr. Huang.

Hot Flash Stats

In a 2006 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, hot flashes were categorized by severity as follows:

*Mild  - defined as being limited to a sensation of heat without sweating
*Moderate – sensation of heat with sweating, but not enough to interfere with an activity
*Severe  - sensation of heat with sweating that causes a woman to stop her activity

Approximately 2/3 of all North American women will experience hot flashes during perimenopause.  According to WebMD, they are caused by blood vessels close to the skin dilating to cool; this can cause a woman to look flushed and to start sweating.  They can last for as long as five years or more; some women may experience them for life.

Although unavoidable for the most part, there are certain triggers women can avoid to keep them under control:

*Stress
*Caffeine
*Alcohol
*Spicy foods
*Tight clothing
*Heat

Some physicians suggest taking vitamins B and E, should their female patients decide against short-term hormone replacement therapy.