# Evaluation of the effect of fitness on hot flashes and subclinical cardiovascular disease risk in peri-menopausal women

> **NIH NIH R15** · SMITH COLLEGE · 2020 · $412,548

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Menopausal hot flashes have traditionally been considered a bothersome quality of life issue for women.
However, hot flashes are now recognized to be a potential marker of disease risk. Increased frequency and
severity of hot flashes have been positively associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors,
subclinical CVD markers, clinical cardiovascular events, and CVD mortality. Recent data showed that a higher
frequency of hot flashes (e.g. number per day) was associated with lower vascular endothelial function in
women early in the menopausal transition. Habitual physical activity and high cardiorespiratory fitness are
associated with many health benefits. However, the effectiveness of exercise to reduce hot flashes is
equivocal, in part due to lack of objective assessments of hot flashes and physical activity. Further,
surprisingly, the majority of the literature does not demonstrate a protective role of exercise training, habitual
physical activity, or fitness on the reduction of endothelial dysfunction with menopause. These studies have not
considered factors particular to midlife women, such as hot flashes, that may be associated with their vascular
responsiveness to exercise. Therefore, the overall goal of the proposed studies is to determine whether
habitual physical activity and exercise influence hot flash experience and whether habitual activity and hot
flashes influence vascular function in peri-menopausal women. The aims of our study are: 1) To quantify
differences in hot flash experience in peri-menopausal women with high- and low- levels of habitual physical
activity. 2) To subjectively and objectively quantify differences in hot flash experience following acute increases
in physical activity and exercise in high- and low active peri-menopausal women. 3) To determine whether the
relationship between subclinical CVD risk factors and hot flash experience differs by habitual physical activity
status in peri-menopausal women. Cardiovascular disease risk rises dramatically over the transition to
menopause. These studies will have a significant scientific impact because understanding the relationship
between fitness, exercise, hot flashes, and preclinical CVD risk will improve knowledge of CVD risk in peri-
menopausal women, which will advance efforts to monitor and mediate risk, optimize therapies, and improve
the health of midlife women.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9880906
- **Project number:** 1R15HL145650-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** SMITH COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** SARAH WITKOWSKI
- **Activity code:** R15 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $412,548
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-01-01 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9880906

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9880906, Evaluation of the effect of fitness on hot flashes and subclinical cardiovascular disease risk in peri-menopausal women (1R15HL145650-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9880906. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*