Researchers from the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute have recently reviewed evidence that suggests a connection between female reproductive health and the risk of developing metabolic disorders later in life.
This review was featured in the Cell Metabolism journal on January 26.
Metabolic health refers to having healthy levels of blood sugar, fats, blood pressure, and body fat. When these levels are not optimal, there’s a higher risk of developing diseases like type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
Lead author Dr. Amy R. Nichols, from the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, emphasized that the study sheds light on possible reasons and risk factors for poor metabolic health.
The study suggests that female reproductive traits, often not considered, could be linked to chronic metabolic illnesses. Screening for these reproductive factors throughout a woman’s life might help in preventing or treating these diseases.
The research points out several reproductive factors that could be risks.
These include having a first menstrual period at a young age, irregular menstrual cycles, developing polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), significant weight gain during pregnancy, abnormal blood sugar and fat levels during pregnancy, and severe or early menopause symptoms.
These factors might lead to worse metabolic health due to shared underlying causes like genetics, hormone changes, or body fat.
While recognizing these reproductive milestones as risk factors is a significant step in understanding metabolic disorders, the researchers believe more studies are needed to fully grasp these complex connections.
Dr. Emily Oken, a senior author of the study, noted the difficulty in unraveling the links between these risk factors and metabolic health.
Dr. Oken highlights the importance of collecting clinical evidence throughout a woman’s reproductive life. This information could be crucial for educating patients, implementing prevention strategies, and delaying the onset of diseases.
In summary, this research brings a new perspective to women’s health, emphasizing the need to consider reproductive characteristics as potential indicators of future metabolic health issues.
This approach could lead to more effective prevention and treatment strategies for metabolic diseases.
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The research findings can be found in Cell Metabolism.
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