Women who experience menopause prior to the age of 50 are at increased risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), as well as coexisting risk factors such as prediabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and abnormal lipid levels in the blood.
This study was carried out by researchers from the Hadassah Medical Center and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel, with 89,474 women grouped according to their age at menopause into an early (40–44 years), early normal (45–49 years), and normal (50 years or older) group.
The study is the largest to assess this association over five years and indicates that the age of natural menopause should be considered part of the cardio-metabolic risk assessment in women.
“Our study is the largest of its kind with a five-year follow-up period and provides support for the hypothesis that women are relatively protected from cardio-metabolic disease during the perimenopausal state,” said Dr. Joshua Stokar. “We believe our findings justify considering an earlier age at menopause — specifically before the age of 45 — as a risk factor for MASLD. With the aging of the population, as well as the increase in prevalence of obesity and metabolic risk factors, such intervention may reduce the burden of cardio-metabolic morbidity in post-menopausal women.”