# Hot Flashes and Obesity



## saucywench (Apr 27, 2007)

What a timely coincidence! http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070424130312.htm
_Source:_University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign_Date:_April 25, 2007
Lessening Hot Flashes: Exploring The Role Of Genes, Obesity And Alcohol​ 

This week I started a thread about how I suffer from the heat and humidity by sweating profusely. Last night it was 60 degrees outside and my forehead and back of my head at the hairline were like geysers. Again, this morning--very cool temps, strong breeze, and my forehead has been sweating for most of the morning, even outside in the breeze. The rest of me was shivering from the coolness, but my head's thermostat was on overdrive. So I am beginning to believe more and more that this is more a situation of hormonal hot flashes than the typical sweating I do during warm-weather months. I Googled 'hot flashes and obesity' and this link was at the top of the list. From the report, which was published just two days ago:

In another paper, published in the journal Climacteric, the researchers used the same data to analyze the link between obesity and hot flashes. They had shown in an earlier study that obesity is associated with more frequent and intense hot flashes in midlife women. They now wanted to see what might be causing this effect: Did the higher incidence of hot flashes in obese women correlate with varying levels of specific hormones or other factors?

When looking at blood levels of specific hormones and related enzymes, the researchers found a significant link between obesity and hormone levels. Higher body mass index (BMI) was significantly correlated with higher testosterone and lower total estradiol, estrone, progesterone and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) in midlife women.

The researchers were surprised by the findings related to estrogen, because adipose tissue produces and stores estradiol, the major estrogen in humans. Most people had assumed that obese women would have higher circulating estrogen levels because of this, Flaws said. That assumption turned out to be incorrect, at least for women in midlife.
“It could be that estrogen levels are higher in the fat, but not circulating in the blood,” she said. “It’s the blood that gets to the brain and to the thermoregulatory centers that govern hot flashes.”


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## Sandie S-R (Apr 27, 2007)

Hey Saucey...

What I have to offer is strictly anecdotal, however my experiences are exactly the opposite. My stepmom (who is just 7 years older then me BTW) is very thin...100# dripping wet. She had the worse experience with menopause. Her hot flashes were excruciatingly intense. Horrible night sweats that have her waking up with soaked sheets, etc. My hot flashes are a little flush to to the face. From the neck down I am fine. My face heats up slightly, my cheeks flush, and I feel like I have a little heat lamp on my face. It usually goes away within 2 minutes. I have maybe one a day, usually in the evening, and this has been happening for about a year. 

BTW, I was told by a health practitioner, that most fat women have it easier with menopause, because we naturally produce more estrogen (all those fat cells) that the flashes, etc., are generally much less.


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## Zandoz (Apr 28, 2007)

saucywench said:


> Again, this morning--very cool temps, strong breeze, and my forehead has been sweating for most of the morning, even outside in the breeze. The rest of me was shivering from the coolness, but my head's thermostat was on overdrive.



I know this is OT...but that comment reminds me of me when I'm having a low glucose level incident.


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## saucywench (Apr 28, 2007)

Your post sent me on a 'Net search. Although I have not fully comprehended all that I have read so far, I'm thinking that my new antidepressant may be playing a role in my excessive sweating. After Googling 'symptoms of hypoglycemia' and seeing the mention of epinephrine (Effexor increases levels of both serotonin and norepinephrine), I went to the Effexor site and read that sweating is one of the possible side effects. I am scheduled for lab screenings on Monday morning to see whether my liver is handling the Effexor OK, so the results may tell whether this is what's exacerbating the sweating problem (although, as I've said, the sweating is a problem in warm weather, regardless.) Thanks again, I hadn't previously associated the new meds with the sweating.


Zandoz said:


> I know this is OT...but that comment reminds me of me when I'm having a low glucose level incident.


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