anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders, and particularly affects middle-aged women. Although anxiety can be caused by many factors, a new study by researchers from South America (Chile, Peru, Ecuador) suggests that the amount of abdominal fat, and therefore waist circumference, increase the risk of developing anxiety. The results are published in the journal Menopause.
57.9% of women were postmenopausal
The researchers analyzed data from more than 5,580 women from 11 Latin American countries aged between 40 and 59 (the average age was 49.7). 57.9% of these women were menopausal. Anxiety was assessed using the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression scale which revealed that 61.3% presented with anxiety.
The “height-waist circumference” ratio was also calculated for each woman. The figure obtained is between 0.45 and 0.6. The higher the number, the larger the woman’s waistline compared to her actual height. A woman is considered obese if his waist circumference is more than half his height height. They were then classified into three categories: high, medium and low.
Anxiety increases with age
The study found that women in the top category were significantly more likely to show signs of anxiety than women in the other two categories. It has also been observed that the frequency of anxiety increases with age. For the researchers, this is linked to hormonal changes and in particular to the drop in estrogen. The latter have a neuroprotective role and also a role in the distribution of fats.
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