New research from UQ’s Australian Women and Girls’ Health Research Centre, found that women who maintained moderate levels of exercise during their early 30s to early 40’s had lower odds of experiencing hot flushes than those with lower activity levels.
Using data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, PhD candidate, Mr Jovenal Gama-Pinto and Dr Gregore Iven Mielke, examined self-reported vasomotor symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats and the association between physical activity such as brisk walking, leisure activities and vigorous physical activity across twenty years.
“We found women with moderate levels of cumulative physical activity from their early 30s to 40s had 20 per cent less chance of experiencing hot flushes than those with low activity levels,” Mr Gama-Pinto said.
Recently published in the international medical journal Maturitas, Mr Gama-Pinto said the findings showed the importance of maintaining physical activity across various life stages, particularly when physical activity tends to reduce.
“This accumulation of physical activity can be thought of as a ‘bank’ where you add physical activity over the life course. The study results showed that women who accumulated a moderate amount of physical activity between their 30s and early 40s were less likely to experience hot flushes,” Mr Gama-Pinto said.
But not all physical activity is created equally, Mr Jovenal Gama-Pinto said the amount of physical activity varies depending on the activity.
"For a moderate amount, adult women would have to reach around 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity as per WHO guidelines (such as brisk walking, yoga, mowing the lawn, swimming) per week. Or around 75-150 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity (such as jogging, aerobics, fast cycling, or netball) per week.”
However, It’s not just about getting active, Mr Jovenal Gama-Pinto said, physical exercise paired with a healthy lifestyle is ideal.
“It is important to note that when other health factors (such as alcohol consumption, higher body mass index, menopausal status and self-reported anxiety) were considered, the clear benefit of physical activity alone became less obvious. This means that while staying active is valuable, combining regular physical activity with other healthy life habits is likely the best approach to reducing hot flushes,” Mr Gama-Pinto said.
