Hormone Replacement Therapy
Risk Factors for Metabolic Syndrome in Menopause
Did you know that women deficient in both vitamin D and estrogen are more likely to develop metabolic syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together and increase the likelihood of developing type II diabetes, strokes, and heart disease.
Suppose you have low vitamin D and estrogen in combination with abnormal cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, excess fat around the waist, high blood pressure or high blood sugar levels. In that case, it is essential to look into options to treat the vitamin deficiency and rebalance your hormones. Doing so could help treat metabolic syndrome and help you avoid the severe consequences that could occur if it goes unchecked.
What Is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D, also known as calciferol, is a vitamin that the body naturally produces with exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. It is also available as a supplement and found in some foods.
Vitamin D is essential in the body because it promotes calcium absorption and helps maintain adequate phosphate and calcium levels to normal bone mineralization.
Enough vitamin D and calcium may also help prevent hypocalcemic tetany or an involuntary muscle contraction that leads to painful spasms and cramps.
Perhaps most importantly, vitamin D is necessary for bone growth and remodeling, which keeps bones strong. Without it, osteoporosis, rickets, and osteomalacia can occur.
What Are Estrogens?
Estrogens are a group of hormones that play an essential role in women’s reproductive and sexual development.
Estrogen hormones help the breastplate grow, widen the pelvis and hips, and form the menstrual cycle.
Low estrogen can cause serious problems for women. Symptoms of low estrogen may include:
- Painful sex
- Brittle bones
- Weight gain
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Trouble sleeping
Low estrogen interferes with sexual development and sexual functions, depending on when it occurs.
What Is Metabolic Syndrome?
The following five factors increase your chances of having metabolic syndrome:
- High triglycerides
- High blood pressure
- High blood glucose
- Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
- Central obesity
To have metabolic syndrome, a woman must have central obesity and at least two of the other four factors.
What Changes Occur During Menopause and the Postmenopausal Period?
Menopause causes several changes that women have to deal with. Some of those include changes in the immune system, changes in bone strength, and the risk of metabolic syndrome.
The good news is that though the levels of estrogen and vitamin D may decline, supplementing those may help improve bone health and reduce the likelihood of developing metabolic syndrome in menopausal and postmenopausal women.
A recent study found a synergistic role for estrogen and vitamin D deficiency in metabolic syndrome. The study involved 616 Chinese postmenopausal women between the ages of 49 and 86 who were not taking supplemental estrogen or vitamin D at the beginning of the study.
Studying the impact of supplemental estrogen and vitamin D across these women showed that those with lower levels of vitamin D tended to have lower estradiol levels.
Women with lower estradiol levels showed less favorable blood pressure, triglycerides, and cholesterol.
The study determined that its results show that those with low levels of vitamin D and estradiol were at an increased risk of metabolic syndrome.
The Benefits of Estrogen Therapy and Vitamin D Supplementation in Menopause
It is already well-known in the scientific community that vitamin D and estrogen supplementation can improve bone health in women with deficiencies.
A study showed that improving vitamin D and estrogen levels also helped reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, which means that women may reduce their risk of stroke, diabetes, and heart disease post-menopause.
The study suggests estrogen therapy alone reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and osteoporosis, and it may also help improve bone health.
How much estrogen or vitamin D is enough?
The Endocrine Society currently recommends that postmenopausal women have vitamin D levels of 30 ng/mL or higher.
Normal estrogen levels for postmenopausal women are 0 to 30 pg/mL, but the optimal level may be as much as 75 to 100 pg/mL.
Contact Us at Renew Health and Wellness
At Renew Health and Wellness, we work with patients to help them reach better levels of health. On our site, you can take our hormone health test and learn more about Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement (BHRT), female personal wellness, and more.
Our team is here to help you learn more about the options that could help you prevent or treat hormone or vitamin-deficiency-related conditions.
Risk Factors for Metabolic Syndrome in Menopause
Did you know that women deficient in both vitamin D and estrogen are more likely to develop metabolic syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together and increase the likelihood of developing type II diabetes, strokes, and heart disease.
Suppose you have low vitamin D and estrogen in combination with abnormal cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, excess fat around the waist, high blood pressure or high blood sugar levels. In that case, it is essential to look into options to treat the vitamin deficiency and rebalance your hormones. Doing so could help treat metabolic syndrome and help you avoid the severe consequences that could occur if it goes unchecked.
What Is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D, also known as calciferol, is a vitamin that the body naturally produces with exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. It is also available as a supplement and found in some foods.
Vitamin D is essential in the body because it promotes calcium absorption and helps maintain adequate phosphate and calcium levels to normal bone mineralization.
Enough vitamin D and calcium may also help prevent hypocalcemic tetany or an involuntary muscle contraction that leads to painful spasms and cramps.
Perhaps most importantly, vitamin D is necessary for bone growth and remodeling, which keeps bones strong. Without it, osteoporosis, rickets, and osteomalacia can occur.
What Are Estrogens?
Estrogens are a group of hormones that play an essential role in women’s reproductive and sexual development.
Estrogen hormones help the breastplate grow, widen the pelvis and hips, and form the menstrual cycle.
Low estrogen can cause serious problems for women. Symptoms of low estrogen may include:
- Painful sex
- Brittle bones
- Weight gain
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Trouble sleeping
Low estrogen interferes with sexual development and sexual functions, depending on when it occurs.
What Is Metabolic Syndrome?
The following five factors increase your chances of having metabolic syndrome:
- High triglycerides
- High blood pressure
- High blood glucose
- Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
- Central obesity
To have metabolic syndrome, a woman must have central obesity and at least two of the other four factors.
What Changes Occur During Menopause and the Postmenopausal Period?
Menopause causes several changes that women have to deal with. Some of those include changes in the immune system, changes in bone strength, and the risk of metabolic syndrome.
The good news is that though the levels of estrogen and vitamin D may decline, supplementing those may help improve bone health and reduce the likelihood of developing metabolic syndrome in menopausal and postmenopausal women.
A recent study found a synergistic role for estrogen and vitamin D deficiency in metabolic syndrome. The study involved 616 Chinese postmenopausal women between the ages of 49 and 86 who were not taking supplemental estrogen or vitamin D at the beginning of the study.
Studying the impact of supplemental estrogen and vitamin D across these women showed that those with lower levels of vitamin D tended to have lower estradiol levels.
Women with lower estradiol levels showed less favorable blood pressure, triglycerides, and cholesterol.
The study determined that its results show that those with low levels of vitamin D and estradiol were at an increased risk of metabolic syndrome.
The Benefits of Estrogen Therapy and Vitamin D Supplementation in Menopause
It is already well-known in the scientific community that vitamin D and estrogen supplementation can improve bone health in women with deficiencies.
A study showed that improving vitamin D and estrogen levels also helped reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, which means that women may reduce their risk of stroke, diabetes, and heart disease post-menopause.
The study suggests estrogen therapy alone reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and osteoporosis, and it may also help improve bone health.
How much estrogen or vitamin D is enough?
The Endocrine Society currently recommends that postmenopausal women have vitamin D levels of 30 ng/mL or higher.
Normal estrogen levels for postmenopausal women are 0 to 30 pg/mL, but the optimal level may be as much as 75 to 100 pg/mL.
Contact Us at Renew Health and Wellness
At Renew Health and Wellness, we work with patients to help them reach better levels of health. On our site, you can take our hormone health test and learn more about Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement (BHRT), female personal wellness, and more.
Our team is here to help you learn more about the options that could help you prevent or treat hormone or vitamin-deficiency-related conditions.
