Menopause not found to increase risk of diabetes

New research from the United States has revealed that menopause is not a factor in raising the risk of developing diabetes in women. Scientists showed this for both women who had undergone natural menopause and for women who had their ovaries removed.
The study involved over 1,200 women between the age of 40 and 65 who suffer from glucose intolerance and high blood sugar levels, which can lead to diabetes. It was shown that for every 100 women observed, 11.8 pre-menopausal women developed diabetes, as compared with 10.5 for women in natural menopause and 12.9 cases for women who have had their ovaries removed.
For those women whose ovaries had been removed, and also carried out exercise for more than 150 minutes per week and lost 7 per cent in body weight, they experienced a decline in their risk for diabetes. In addition, most of the women who had their ovaries removed were on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which can lead to a range of health issues, so the findings were somewhat unexpected.
Catherine Kim, lead author on the research, which was published in the journal Menopause, commented “In our study, menopause had no additional effect on risk for diabetes.”
She added “Physicians can be empowered to tell women that lifestyle changes can be very effective, and that menopause does not mean that they have a higher risk of diabetes.”