Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the main causes of death worldwide. This condition is usually viewed as a predominantly male problem. However high cholesterol and blood pressure are significant contributing factors to heart disease and stroke amongst post-menopausal women. Cholesterol tends to increase at the menopause due to hormonal changes, mainly the decrease in oestrogen production.
During the menopause the distribution of body fat shifts from the lower body (pear shape) to the upper body (apple shape) which associated with an increase in CVD. Not only is there an increase in total cholesterol but levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) increase by 10-20%
