Do genetics play a part in why some women who smoke have more severe hot flashes during menopause than others? Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine seem to think so, based on the findings of a recent study.
Other research has already shown that smoking by itself may change the way a woman’s body works as she ages. Smokers tend to enter menopause earlier, and have a higher risk of osteoporosis, as well as more hot flashes.
Now this new study is indicating that certain genetic predispositions – primarily among the genes that control metabolism and hormone regulation – can make women who smoke even more susceptible to these issues.
The research spanned a period of 11 years, following a group of 296 women who were in the latter ages of fertility. They found an increased risk of hot flashes during menopause among study participants who smoked and also had single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in specific genes.
SNP means that within a certain genetic strand, a single nucleotide among the seven shows a mutation. SNPs are common throughout human DNA.
Samantha Butts, MD MSCE and lead author of the study, suggested that the toxins in cigarette smoke are interacting with these genes differently due to the mutation, which in turn causes increased hot flashes.
Butts also cautioned that these same toxins are emitted into the air in other ways, such as through pollution. This means that even women who do not smoke are at risk for these symptoms if they have the indicated SNPs.
According to Butts, the information learned in this study could have significant benefits for female smokers who carry these SNPs.
“Women who smoke and carry a particular gene variant may benefit from aggressive targeted approaches to smoking cessation, especially if they know that smoking is a significant contributor to their menopausal symptoms.”
While the fact that smoking can have dangerous consequences is certainly not new information, this new link could still have a profound impact. It has long been known that smoking is risky, but the fact that certain women’s genes make the practice even more of a risk ups the ante on quitting.
If you are a smoker who is suffering from hot flashes, quitting should become an even higher priority. In addition to the other health benefits of removing cigarettes from your life, it looks like you might also be in for some hot flash relief, as well.
