Background/Objectives: The risk of sarcopenic obesity across menopausal transition stages remains unclear. This study investigated the association between menopausal stage and the risk of sarcopenic obesity. Methods: This longitudinal study included 4766 Korean women aged 42–52 years (median follow-up duration, 9.1 years). Menopausal transition was classified by STRAW + 10 stages: premenopause, early transition, late transition, and postmenopause. Sarcopenic obesity was defined as ASM index < 5.7 kg/m² combined with PBF ≥ 35%. ASM and PBF were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis with an InBody 720 device. Obesity, defined by BMI or waist circumference, was used for the sensitivity analyses. Associations were analyzed using generalized estimating equations. Results: Participants had a mean age and BMI of 42.2 years (SD 3.0) and 22.1 kg/m² (SD 2.9), respectively; 16.1% had high body fat, and 15.6% had low muscle mass. Increased age was associated with higher odds of sarcopenic obesity (OR 1.07, 95% CI: 1.03–1.10). Compared to pre-menopause, late transition (OR 1.49, 95% CI: 1.17–1.89) and post-menopause (OR 1.67, 95% CI: 1.26–2.23) were significantly associated with sarcopenic obesity, independent of confounders. Similar trends were observed using waist circumference-based definitions. No significant associations were identified using BMI-based definitions (BMI ≥ 23 kg/m²), although positive trends were observed. Conclusions: In middle-aged Korean women undergoing natural menopause, sarcopenic obesity increased across menopausal stages, becoming significant from the late transition. These unfavorable changes were more evident when using body composition measures, suggesting that BMI alone may underestimate such changes during menopausal transition.

Yoonyoung Jang, Taehwa Kim, Brian H. S. Kim, Jung Ho Kim, Hye Seong, Youn Jeong Kim, Boyoung Park. J Cancer Prev 2023;28:53-63. https://doi.org/10.15430/JCP.2023.28.2.53

Background/Objectives: As high salt intake may increase obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk through fluid retention and upper airway narrowing during sleep, we aimed to determine whether dietary salt intake modified the association between menopausal transition and the risk of OSA. Methods: Between 2014 and 2018, we conducted a longitudinal study of 2572 women aged 42–52 years at the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Total Healthcare Center. The participants were followed up until the end of 2024. OSA risk was evaluated using the STOP-Bang questionnaire, with a body mass index threshold adjusted to ≥30 kg/m² in accordance with a Korean validation study. Dietary salt intake was categorized into tertiles, with tertile 3 representing the highest salt intake. Generalized estimating equations with time-dependent covariates were used to account for repeated measurements over time. Results: OSA risk increased during menopausal transition. Compared with the pre-menopausal stage, both late transition (β = 0.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.05–0.78) and post-menopause (β = 0.61, 95% CI 0.20–1.02) were significantly associated with an increased risk of OSA, independent of potential confounders. A high salt intake (tertile 3) was also significantly associated with OSA. A significant interaction was observed between menopausal transition and salt intake (p = 0.040), with a stronger association between menopausal transition and OSA during the early transition stage in women with higher salt intake. Conclusions: Menopausal transition and high dietary salt intake appear to act synergistically to increase the risk of OSA in middle-aged women. Our results suggest that implementing targeted screening and reducing dietary salt intake may mitigate the risk of OSA during menopausal transition.

Jang Y, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2026 Apr;41:e128. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2026.41.e128

Objectives: Whether habitual salt consumption is related to vasomotor symptoms (VMS) during the menopausal transition has received little attention. We investigated the relationship of salt-related eating behaviors with bothersome VMS over time and explored whether body composition modified this relationship. Methods: We analyzed repeated observations from 3664 Korean women who entered the cohort between 2014 and 2018 and were followed until July 2024. A three-item questionnaire was used to generate a salt intake habit score, which was divided into tertiles. Bothersome VMS across repeated visits were analyzed using logistic mixed-effects models with inverse probability weighting, and effect modification by adiposity was explored. Results: At enrollment, mean age was 45.6 years; among women with repeated assessments, the median observation period was 5.6 years. Relative to the lowest salt intake tertile, adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) for bothersome VMS were 1.48 (1.22–1.80) in the middle tertile and 1.51 (1.20–1.89) in the highest tertile. The association appeared stronger among women with percentage body fat ≥35% (p for interaction = 0.032), although the interaction did not reach the Bonferroni-corrected threshold (p < 0.0167). Conclusions: Saltier eating habits were related to a greater likelihood of bothersome VMS during follow-up. These findings should be considered hypothesis-generating, and whether reducing salt consumption also decreases VMS warrants testing in intervention studies.