Women suffering from hot flashes during menopause can comfort themselves that such symptoms may be good for their overall health. Scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle conducted a case-control study of women with breast cancer. They found that women who reported frequent and intense hot flashes were less likely to be diagnosed with two different common types of breast cancer. In fact, their risk of these cancers was about half that of women who experienced few menopausal symptoms.
The researchers emphasize that this study does not establish a cause-and-effect connection, and warn women that mammograms to detect breast cancer are still important even for women with hot flashes. It is possible that levels of the female hormone estrogen provides the link, but it is not yet clear exactly how hot flashes might be related to a lower likelihood of breast cancer.
[Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Feb, 2011]
The People's Perspective on Medicine