Iowa State University researchers have launched a study to explore how menopause impacts brain and vascular aging, aiming to address women’s long-term health risks.
Understanding Menopause’s Effects
Menopause is a natural transition that every woman will experience, with symptoms like hot flashes and sleep problems being the most obvious. However, what happens quietly during this transition may hold the key to a woman’s long-term health.
Assistant professor of kinesiology and health at Iowa State University, Wesley Lefferts, is leading the BRAVA Study (BRAin & VAscular health across menopause), which examines how menopause may accelerate vascular and brain aging.
Lefferts stated, ‘It’s not really something we can ignore anymore.’ While women tend to live longer than men, they are also more likely to be diagnosed with cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia and to experience worse outcomes after a stroke.
Over the next two to three years, researchers aim to study around 370 women between the ages of 40 and 64 throughout the premenopausal, perimenopausal, and early postmenopausal transition. Participants will undergo a series of tests, ranging from lying down to exercising on a treadmill.
Researchers are currently enrolling participants in the study. Participants will also receive a detailed 13-page comprehensive health report. To learn more or apply to be a participant, email [email protected].
Original reporting: KCCI Des Moines — read the source article.
