Post-menopausal women have significantly greater volumes of fat around their hearts - a risk factor for heart disease - than their pre-menopausal counterparts, new research shows. "Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, and it increases after age 50 - the average age when a woman is going through menopause," said lead author Samar El Khoudary, assistant professor at University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in the US. "By showing that menopause appears to be associated with a shift in fat deposits that leads to more fat around the heart, we have uncovered a new potential contributor to increased risk of cardiovascular disease in women," El Khoudary said.
The finding, published online in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, could guide potentially life-saving interventions. Weight gain in women during and after menopause has long…
