The Link Between Menopause and Diabetes

By Kim Allarie

What's the link between menopause and diabetes? During menopause, hormonal changes in the body set off a chemical chain eventually leading to fluctuations in blood sugar level. We've been mainly focused on the symptoms surrounding menopause, bur recent studies have shown that the hormonal changes happening throughout menopause increase the risks of diabetes.

There are frequent symptoms that women experience throughout both menopause and perimenopause. All women will eventually experience menopause, although the symptoms they experience will vary. Possible symptoms may include but are not limited to weight gain, trouble sleeping, mood swings and the ever popular hot flashes. Here are a number of things you must keep in mind, seeing as there may be a correlation between menopause and diabetes.

Many of us who are going through menopause experience restless nights. You will have higher blood sugar levels when you do not get sufficient sleep. As we all know, weight gain while going through menopause will happen, but it will also upset your blood sugar levels. Diabetes may result from that in its turn.

Post-menopausal women participated in a four-year study which measured their blood flow and the functionality of vessels and arteries. Every six months, these women were checked and subjected to blood testing. Some of these women developed diabetes over the span of four years, though none of them had diabetes at the start of the study. This was apparent because there was a significant shift in blood flow in the arteries and vessels.

The idea of a direct link between menopause and diabetes is controversial, because it's difficult to tell whether or not the diabetes existed before the onset of menopause. It doesn't matter that diabetes caused the problem with the cells, as women in the study didn't start with diabetes. Instead, researchers are inclined to believe that dysfunction in cells lining blood vessels may lead toward diabetes.

Preliminary scientific evidence suggests that menopause and diabetes are linked, but there have been no conclusive findings so far. Have your blood sugar checked twice a year to determine if you may be developing early signs of diabetes. Eat healthfully, do your exercises, and talk to a health care provider if you suspect you might have symptoms of diabetes. - 29887

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