"Alcohol Consumption Increases Risk of Early Onset Menopause"

Professors Ryu Seungho and Jang Yusu, and Dr. Kwonria's Research Team at Gangbuk Samsung Hospital Data Management Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] Research by domestic researchers has found that the more middle-aged women before menopause drink alcohol, the higher the risk of early onset of vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats), which are symptoms of menopause.

The research team led by Professors Ryu Seung-ho and Jang Yoo-soo and Dr. Kwon Ri-ah from the Data Management Center at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital announced on the 19th that they conducted a five-year follow-up analysis of 2,394 premenopausal middle-aged women aged 42 to 52 who visited the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Comprehensive Health Screening Center from 2014 to 2018, resulting in these findings.

The research team classified drinking behavior into ▲ lifetime abstainers ▲ former drinkers ▲ drinkers consuming less than 10g per day ▲ drinkers consuming 10g-19g per day ▲ drinkers consuming 20-39g per day ▲ drinkers consuming 40g or more per day. An alcohol intake of 10g per day is roughly equivalent to drinking one regular-sized glass of soju.

Vasomotor symptoms of menopause, such as facial flushing and night sweats, were measured through surveys. A score of 3 or higher on a scale from 1 to 7, indicating moderate or greater distress, was defined as having moderate or severe vasomotor symptoms.

As a result, compared to lifetime abstainers, the research team reported that the prevalence and risk of early onset of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms significantly increased with higher alcohol consumption. This was consistently observed across various drinking habits, including frequency of drinking on weekdays, amount consumed per occasion, and frequency of binge drinking.

Professor Ryu explained the distinction of this study by saying, "Many previous studies simply defined drinking behavior based on average alcohol consumption, which included people with past drinking history in the non-drinking group, sometimes resulting in findings that light drinkers appeared healthier."

Professor Jang stated, "Although further research is needed to determine the exact cause of how alcohol affects menopausal symptoms, previous studies have reported that alcohol influences estrogen and other hormones and is associated with reduced ovarian volume, so it is presumed to be related."

Meanwhile, this study was conducted with support from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s National Institute of Health as part of a prospective research project to identify chronic disease risk factors in menopausal women, and it was published in the international peer-reviewed journal 'Nutrients.'

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.