When Menopause Comes Early, So May Diabetes

-

A recent study published in JAMA Network Open has shed light on an important but often overlooked connection—how the age at which a woman reaches menopause may influence her risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Conducted among over 1,000,000 Korean women, the research found a clear link: the earlier the onset of menopause, the higher the risk of diabetes.

Finger-prick testing helps track blood sugar levels, empowering people with diabetes to stay ahead of their health.
Photo by isens usa on Unsplash

Women who experienced menopause before the age of 40—classified as premature menopause—faced a 27% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who underwent menopause at 50 or older. Even those who entered menopause between ages 40 and 44 had an elevated risk.

Why does this happen?
Estrogen, the key hormone that declines after menopause, plays a crucial role in how the body uses insulin and regulates blood sugar. When menopause occurs earlier, the body is exposed to less estrogen over a lifetime, potentially leading to metabolic disruptions that raise diabetes risk.

The findings hold major implications for women’s health—not just in Korea but globally. As life expectancy increases and more women live a significant portion of their lives post-menopause, understanding these risks is vital for prevention.

So what can be done?
Women who enter menopause early should consider more frequent screening for type 2 diabetes and adopt preventive lifestyle measures, such as healthy eating, regular exercise, and weight management. Health professionals should also be aware of this link to offer more personalized care and early interventions.

Ultimately, the study is a strong reminder that menopause is not just a reproductive milestone—it’s a turning point in long-term health. Awareness and early action could make all the difference.

As in the JAMA Network Open:

Abstract:

Importance  There is limited evidence regarding the association between age at menopause and incident type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Objective  To investigate whether age at menopause and premature menopause are associated with T2D incidence in postmenopausal Korean women.

Design, Setting, and Participants  This population-based cohort study was conducted among a nationally representative sample from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database of 1125378 postmenopausal women without T2D who enrolled in 2009. The median (IQR) follow-up was 8.4 (8.1-8.7) years. Data were analyzed in March 2024.

Exposures  Age at menopause and premature menopause (menopause onset at age <40 years).

Main Outcomes and Measures  The primary outcome was incident T2D. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for incident T2D by age at menopause, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results  Of 1 125 378 participants (mean [SD] age at enrollment, 61.2 [8.4] years), 113 864 individuals (10.1%) were diagnosed with T2D at least 1 year after enrollment. Women with menopause onset at ages younger than 40 years (premature menopause; HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.08-1.18) and ages 40 to 44 years (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.00-1.06) had increased risk of T2D compared with those with onset at age 50 years or older, with adjustment for sociodemographic, lifestyle, cardiometabolic, psychiatric, and reproductive factors; a younger age at menopause was associated with increased risk of developing T2D (P for trend <.001). Body mass index, depressive disorder, and prediabetes modified the association in subgroup analyses; for example, for individuals with premature menopause vs those with menopause at ages 50 years or older, HRs were 1.54 (95% CI, 1.14-2.06) for a BMI less than 18.5 and 1.14 (95% CI, 1.00-1.30) for a BMI of 30 or greater (P < .001), 1.28 (95% CI, 1.12-1.45) for individuals with depression and 1.11 (95% CI, 1.07-1.16) for those without depression (P = .01), and 1.25 (95% CI, 1.18-1.33) for individuals who were not prediabetic and 1.04 (95% CI, 0.99-1.11) those who were prediabetic (P < .001).

Conclusions and Relevance  In this study, premature and early menopause were associated with a higher risk of T2D, highlighting the need for targeted public health strategies aimed at preventing or delaying T2D among postmenopausal women.

Comments

Post a Comment

Please comment on this blog-

Popular posts from this blog

What would it be like if your neurons could regenerate?

-
Image
  What If Neurons Could Regenerate? Imagine a world where your brain could heal and renew itself like your skin or liver. How would that change your life? Would you still be the same person, or would you evolve into someone entirely different? Let’s dive into this mind-bending idea together. The top image shows fluorescently labeled cells in the spinal cord of a zebrafish recovering one week after an injury, and the bottom image shows recovery four weeks after an injury. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis describe the dramatic changes within nerve cells that make regeneration possible. Such findings could inspire the development of new therapies for spinal cord injuries in people. (Image: Mokalled lab) A New Era for Memory and Learning Think about the last time you struggled to remember something important. What if your brain had the ability to replace lost or damaged neurons? Learning could become faster and more efficient, making knowledge ret...
Read more

Sweetener saccharin shows surprising power against antibiotic resistance

-
Image
Abstract Artificial sweeteners like saccharin, commonly used as sugar substitutes, are revealing surprising capabilities in combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Recent research indicates that saccharin and similar compounds, such as acesulfame-K and sucralose, can inhibit the growth of multidrug-resistant pathogens like Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . These sweeteners disrupt bacterial biofilm formation and motility, and they can enhance the effectiveness of existing antibiotics by increasing bacterial membrane permeability, leading to cell lysis. Notably, acesulfame-K demonstrated potent antimicrobial activity in ex vivo wound models, suggesting potential therapeutic applications. ​ However, there's a complex side to this narrative. Studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can also promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. They do this by increasing bacterial cell membrane permeability and stimulating the expression of genes involved in D...
Read more

Soon, human organs for transplant may be grown in animal hosts

-
Image
TOKYO: Japan  has given the green light to a controversial research process involving implanting animals with human stem cells that could eventually help grow human organs for transplant inside animal hosts. The decision by the education and science ministry on Friday to revise its guidelines means Japanese researchers can now apply for permits to carry out studies employing the technique, a ministry official said. The process involves implanting embryonic animals, likely first pigs, with human “induced pluripotent stem” (iPS) cells, which can transform into the building blocks of any part of the body. The idea is for the iPS cells to grow into transplantable human organs inside the animal embryos. Japan had previously required researche rs to terminate animal embryos implanted with human cells after 14 days “due to ethical concerns over the vague line between human beings and animals,” the official said. The old regulations also prevented researchers from placing th...
Read more