Study: Hot flashes may protect women

CHICAGO, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- A U.S. study finds women who start having hot flashes when they begin menopause appear to have a lower risk of heart disease.

The findings came out of a 10-year study known as the Women's Health Initiative, The Daily Telegraph reports. Researchers are tracking 60,000 women during their menopausal years.

Hot flashes and night sweats, believed to be caused by hormonal imbalance, are a common symptom of menopause, although many women never experience them. Researchers compared women based on whether they had hot flashes early in menopause, later or never, and found that those with early hot flashes were less likely to have heart attacks or strokes.

Dr. Emily Szmuilowicz of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, who headed the research team, said earlier studies suggested increased menopausal symptoms were associated with increased risk of heart disease.

''It is reassuring that these symptoms, which are experienced by so many women, do not seem to correlate with increased risk of cardiovascular disease," she said. "Hot flashes will never be enjoyable, but perhaps these findings will make them more tolerable.''

The findings are to be published in the June issue of the journal Menopause.