How hot flashes can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s & cardiovascular disease

The sudden surge of heat frequently causes faces to burn and causes people to begin sweating heavily. They are one of the most prevalent menopause symptoms. It’s important to pay attention, even if menopause is years or decades away because new research suggests that the menopause experience may be detrimental to one’s long-term health. A recent study suggests that menopausal women who experience frequent heat flashes while sleeping may be more likely to get Alzheimer’s disease. Let’s take a closer look. Also read: Please Stand Up: Does sitting for more than 10 hours increase risk of dementia? Hot flashes linked to Alzheimer’s A woman’s risk of having Alzheimer’s increases with the frequency of her hot flashes, according to research from the Universities of Illinois and Pittsburgh. According to the study, frequent, strong hot flashes are linked to higher levels of C-reactive protein, a blood biomarker that may indicate a later diagnosis of heart illness, as well as a blood biomarker that may indicate a later diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Less frequent or severe hot flashes can persist even longer, according to experts. Frequent mild to severe hot flashes can often endure seven to ten years, on average. The study was not yet peer-reviewed when it was presented at the North American Menopause Society’s annual meeting in Philadelphia. For three nights, over 250 women between the ages of 45 and 67 who were exhibiting menopausal symptoms wore a gadget to objectively measure the quality of their sleep. On one of those nights, the women were given sweat monitors to keep track of their hot flashes. Following that, researchers took blood samples from the study subjects and tested them for beta-amyloid 42/40, a particular protein biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease. “Beta-amyloid 42/40 is considered a marker of amyloid plaques in the brain, which is one of the components of the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease dementia,” said lead study author Dr Rebecca Thurston, according to CNN. Thurston, a professor of psychiatry, epidemiology and psychology who directs the Women’s Biobehavioral Health Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh’s Pitt Public Health, added, “We found night sweats were associated with adverse beta-amyloid 42/40 profiles, indicating that hot flashes experienced during sleep may be a marker of women at risk of Alzheimer’s dementia.” According to Thurston, the biomarker merely indicates the potential for future development of the disease, not whether a person now has clinical Alzheimer’s disease. Two biomarkers for tau protein, the second defining symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, were also examined in the study, but Thurston said there was no evidence of an association. “These biomarkers are still undergoing rapid development, and while they’ve been validated at this point there’s still more we need to learn.” Researchers were able to rule out the involvement of inadequate sleep, a recognised dementia risk factor, in the findings. Earlier studies that also took sleep into account, it was discovered that hot flashes and night sweats were related to memory loss and changes in the structure, function, and connectivity of the brain. “All of the findings are converging to underscore there’s something about these nocturnal vasomotor symptoms, aside from sleep itself, that is affecting the brain,” she said. Also read: Can new drug donanemab really slow the growth of Alzheimer's disease? Increased risk of cardiovascular disease Another study conducted by Thurston’s team indicated that women who reported experiencing regular hot flashes during early menopause had a 50 to 80 per cent higher risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure. In this new study, 276 women who participated in the MSHeart trial had sweat monitors installed to more precisely measure the frequency and severity of hot flashes both during the day and at night. Also read: Explained: Can nose-picking raise risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s? Even after updating for other potential factors such as age, body mass index (BMI), education, ethnicity, the hormone estradiol, and race, the study found that hot flashes throughout the day were linked to higher levels of C-reactive protein. “This is the first study to examine physiologically measured hot flashes in relation to inflammation and adds evidence to a growing body of literature suggesting that hot flashes may signify underlying vascular risk,” said lead author Mary Carson, a clinical and bio-health doctoral student in the department of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, in a statement. Dr. Stephanie Faubion, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Women’s Health Specialty Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and medical director for The Menopause Society, recommends “better sleep, proper diet, regular exercise program, reducing stress, staying socially connected and doing something that stimulates your brain.” With inputs from agencies