HealthNews: sauna use helps avoid weight gain during menopause

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts have found that sauna bathing may be a simple strategy to prevent the development of insulin resistance and obesity associated with the onset of menopause in mice. This is reported by Health News with reference to the online platform NUTRITION 2024.

Scientists explained that the onset of menopause (cessation of menstruation in women) is a natural process that can be accompanied by many unpleasant symptoms, such as sleep disturbances and weight gain. Some studies have shown that as menopause begins, women gain an average of one pound (more than four hundred and fifty grams) per year, with 20 percent of them potentially gaining 10 pounds (4.54 kg) in weight.

Health experts believe that declining levels of female hormones, loss of muscle mass and natural aging cause metabolic changes in the body that lead to weight gain. What's more, these changes make it difficult to shed pounds that have accumulated since your period stopped.

To find out if heat exposure can have a positive effect on metabolic health, scientists conducted an experiment on mice. Obese (while following a special diet) elderly female rodents were divided into two groups. The first group was regularly placed in a special chamber for heat therapy with a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes a day for 12 weeks. The second group of rodents was not exposed to heat.

The results of the experiment showed that female mice "in menopause" had less age-related tissue damage compared to rodents from the second group. Moreover, heat therapy helped improve the rodents' insulin sensitivity and fat burning rate.

According to the scientists, the heat increased the activity of a molecule called TRPV1, which acts as a calcium ion channel in the cell membrane. The researchers explained that an active TRPV1 triggered an enhanced calcium "cycling" process in cells, which stimulated increased energy expenditure and fat burning.

The scientists suggested that heat therapy may also be beneficial for humans, especially women who do not do well with exercise. More research is needed to find out if going to a sauna is really effective in triggering weight loss in humans.

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