Same Fat, Different Consequences? The Association Between Fat Distribution and Vasomotor Menopausal Symptoms Varies by Menopausal Status
Katarzyna Górecka, Monika KrzyżanowskaABSTRACT
Objective
To assess whether associations between adipose tissue distribution and VMS differ according to menopausal status and to evaluate these associations within the framework of interorgan communication.
Methods
This study included 408 Polish women aged 40–65 years. Menopausal status was classified according to STRAW+10 criteria. Adiposity distribution was characterized using a combination of anthropometric indicators and multifrequency bioelectrical impedance. Hot flash and night sweat frequency and bothersomeness were classified as low, moderate, or high.
Results
Postmenopausal women had greater abdominal adiposity and reported more frequent and bothersome VMS than perimenopausal women. Associations between adiposity measures and VMS differed by menopausal status. Among perimenopausal women, greater triceps skinfold thickness was associated with more frequent hot flashes (OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.16–2.01), a higher sum of skinfold thicknesses with greater hot flash bothersomeness (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.05–1.76), and higher WHtR with more frequent night sweats (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.10–1.88). In postmenopausal women, greater abdominal skinfold thickness was associated with more frequent hot flashes (OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.07–2.95), whereas higher WHR and WHtR were associated with lower odds of VMS.
Conclusions
Patterns linking regional fat distribution with VMS varied between perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. In perimenopausal women, indicators of greater trunk and abdominal adiposity were associated with a less favorable VMS profile. In postmenopausal women, the direction of associations depended on the adiposity measure examined. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that adipose tissue may contribute to VMS expression through endocrine, metabolic, and inflammatory processes involved in interorgan communication.