New studies in USA have shown that women nearing menopause have a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome. The study done intending to know what elevates the risk of MetS in women nearing menopause, observed 949 women, aged between 42 and 52 years, free of MetS at the beginning of the study. MetS includes heart disease, stroke and diabetes, HBP, and abdominal obesity.

 

Subsequently, their estrogen and testosterone levels were markedly increased during the procession from the pre-menopause to the post-menopause stage. Researchers observed that nearly 14 percent of the participants developed MetS by the time they had final menstrual period. And, it was greater during pre-menopause stage than the post-menopause stages.

 

The study concludes that syndrome is correlated with an increase in testosterone activity and not with women's estrogen levels. Accordingly, it’s evident that the direct negative effects of testosterone are bigger than the loss of estrogen’s positive effects in women's cardiovascular risks. The study suggests women not to smoke, eat healthy diet, and exercise to lower down risk of MetS.