8d • General discussion
Research Roundup!
(From my latest newsletter:)
Here's what's new in recent research we care about as midlife women...
1 - Care for your heart ❤️ -> lift heavy things! 💪
A fresh new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (REF 1) confirms that women who lift weights at least two hours a week lowered their risk of cardiovascular disease significantly (20%!) and their risk of a heart attack (44%!) compared to women who do zero resistance training.
Plus, every additional hour is linked to an extra 5% drop in heart disease risk and a 14% drop in heart attack risk!
Plus...
When those same women also clock 150 minutes of weekly aerobic exercise (and reduced time being sedentary in front of the TV), their risk of heart attack and stroke drops to the lowest of any group studied. Amazing!
One caveat to note: The study noted that benefits were maximized when participants also limited their sedentary behaviours, such as watching less than 2 hours of TV per day.
To put these findings in practical terms, this could be 5 x 30m of aerobic activity and 3 x 40m weight lifting sessions per week. Reasonable, yes? (If no, go slow - Rome wasn't built in a day.)
Soooo, yes, it's boring but straight-forward: move more, sit less, don't marry your sofa.
[Here's WHY this is important: According to the World Heart Federation, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women globally, accounting for about 30% of all deaths. Perimenopausal women in particular are 2x as likely to have a low cardiovascular health score compared to women who are still cycling regularly, mostly thanks to rising cholesterol and blood sugar. The Journal of the American Heart Association went so far as to call perimenopause a "window of opportunity" to get on top of metabolic issues and prevent future cardiovascular disease. (REF 2) In other words, this isn't the beginning of the end—it's your critical upgrade window.]
2 - Exhausted? You're in good company. 😮💨
The TOP symptom of peri/menopause? Not what you might expect…
Nearly 95% of women who identify as being in peri/menopause report FATIGUE and EXHAUSTION as their main symptom according to a global survey in the journal Menopause— not hot flashes and night sweats, as per the stereotype (REF 3).
So if you've been wondering why you're feeling tired to the bone, there's nothing wrong with you - you're in the majority. You don't need more grit; you need better support...that why you're HERE in this group! Yay!
3 - Sleep & Your Brain Health - The Long Game 🧠
Sleep disturbances during perimenopause are now being linked with worse cognitive function later in life, according to research in Menopause (REF 4).
And because mainstream science loves to be both helpful and mildly infuriating sometimes (which I can say as a scientist myself!), the same article reports that hormone therapy is not currently supported as a primary cognitive intervention for women going through a typical menopause…which is actually just plain wrong!
I believe they got this wrong because they failed to differentiate the TYPE and DURATION of hormone therapy (synthetic v. bioidentical, delivery method, age started, dosage, etc) that the women studied had received in the past, soooo…big oops. Anyway, my point is what we know conclusively based on much more detailed studies on HRT and cognitive decline that HRT done right makes a BIG difference towards cognitive preservation. No doubt. But you already know this because you're here. :)
Aaaanyway, the good thing is that the authors DO list lifestyle and cardiovascular risk management as heavy hitters for brain protection: movement, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, stress, and yes, sleep. Massive. Protect your sleep, protect your brain. Definitely one of our big goals for you in this program!
- https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2026.04.036
- https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.125.046898?__cf_chl_f_tk=Db.8ju2z5WoOA42wtIrKDfVnqmOT1S83duuZ4qzyoVQ-1783223634-1.0.1.1-H.ovNcRvSYZdLaee5rnK_w83nA8Q8beJjbH1BvUJdXc
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41603602/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42302113/
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Research Roundup!
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