Weight loss ‘could reduce hot flushes’

Menopausal women could reduce their hot flushes if they lose weight, a study has suggested.

Researchers from the University of California conducted a study involving 226 overweight or obese menopausal women.

The participants were split into two groups, a control group and an intervention group, which ate a reduced-calorie diet and did some of the best exercises to lose weight.

Those who lost weight and decreased their body mass index and abdominal circumference experienced an improvement in hot flushes during the six months of the study.

"Our findings indicate that women who are overweight or obese and experience bothersome hot flushes may … experience improvement in these symptoms after pursuing behavioural weight loss strategies," the study authors concluded.

Last month, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston published a study that claimed cycling or regular brisk walks are particularly useful in preventing weight gain in pre-menopausal women who are overweight and obese.

Do you suffer from hot flushes? Would you be prepared to try and lose weight in order to get rid of them?