Metabolic Health & Menopause: What is the Link Between Sugar and Hot Flashes?

Levels Blog, December 2 2020.

A rolling heat spreads uncontrollably over your skin. Your heart beats faster. Your skin flushes hot and red, you start sweating through your clothes, and you feel confused, irritable. A hot flash has taken over your body, and all you want to do is find somewhere cool to wait it out.

Almost 80% of people undergoing natural menopause have hot flashes, and about 30% report frequent or severe symptoms. These are called vasomotor episodes (because they’re related to constriction and dilation of the blood vessels) and researchers attribute them to ovarian changes in early menopause that cause  spikes and dips in how much estrogen the body produces. So what is the relationship between blood sugar and hot flashes, and does elevated blood sugar cause hot flashes? Read More >