Menopause and Diabetes: Information You Should be Aware Of
Is there a relationship between menopause and diabetes? During menopause, hormonal changes in the body set off a chemical chain eventually leading to fluctuations in blood sugar level. We've been mostly focused on the symptoms surrounding menopause, but recent studies have shown that the hormonal changes happening during menopause increase the risks of diabetes.
There are a number of symptoms that occur in most women who are perimenopausal or menopausal. All women will eventually experience menopause symptoms, although the symptoms they experience will vary. Some of the symptoms of menopause are hot flashes, mood swings, sleeplessness and gaining weight. But because diabetes may be related to menopause, here are some key facts you should know.
Many of us who are going through menopause experience restless nights. Research suggests that our blood sugar levels rise when we get insufficient sleep. As we all know, weight gain while going through menopause will happen but it will also upset your blood sugar levels. Diabetes may result from that in its turn.
A study which spanned four years researched post-menopausal women to assess their blood flow and how well their arteries and vessels functioned. Every six months, these women were examined and subjected to blood testing. Some of these women developed diabetes over the span of four years, though none of them had diabetes at the start of the study. Blood flow in the veins and arteries had shifted dramatically.
Researchers cannot say with certainty that cell dysfunction is the root cause of diabetes in menopausal women, or if it is a result of having diabetes in the first place, even though the results may have shown a direct link. To restate, ladies did not suffer from diabetes at the start of the study, therefore assertions that this was the culprit in cell dysfunction is not valid. Instead, researchers are inclined to believe that dysfunction in cells lining blood vessels may lead toward diabetes.
The research suggests that menopause and diabetes are linked, but the link is not yet proven. Menopause symptoms may be troublesome, but they don't have the long term consequences that diabetes has. Therefore it is a good idea to have blood tests done for your blood sugar levels every six months, especially if you might be at risk for diabetes. Eat healthfully by following a menopause diet, do your exercises, and talk to a physician if you suspect you might have symptoms of diabetes.
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Thanks for the informative article. I'm fairly recent to diabetes, and probably not far from menopause, so I found your article very interesting. Cheers!
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