OBJECTIVES: The object of this study was to assess the effects of menopause and a diet/exercise intervention on subclinical atherosclerosis progression. BACKGROUND: Subclinical atherosclerosis has been linked to higher coronary heart disease and stroke rates and is greater among postmenopausal women according to cross-sectional analyses. Whether menopause is associated with an accelerated progression of subclinical disease is unknown, as is the extent to which lifestyle intervention can alter the course of progression. METHODS: Intima-media thickness (IMT) measures of the common carotid artery (CCA), internal carotid artery (ICA), and bulb segments of the carotid arteries were measured twice during the course of 4 years in 353 women from the Women's Healthy Lifestyle Project, a dietary and exercise clinical trial designed to prevent adverse risk factor changes through the menopause. A third measure was obtained 2.5 years later for 113 women. RESULTS: The progression of IMT was observed for the average of all segments (AVG), the CCA, and the bulb (0.007 mm/year, 0.008 mm/year, and 0.012 mm/year; p < 0.01 for all), but not for the ICA. Among controls, menopause was associated with accelerated IMT progression (0.003 mm/year for premenopausal women versus 0.008 mm/year for perimenopausal/postmenopausal women for AVG IMT; p = 0.049). Additionally, among the 160 perimenopausal/postmenopausal women, the intervention slowed IMT progression (0.008 mm/year for the control group versus 0.004 mm/year for the intervention group for AVG IMT; p = 0.02). Similar results were found for the CCA and bulb segments. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that the menopause transition is associated with accelerated subclinical atherosclerosis progression and that a diet/exercise intervention slows menopause-related atherosclerosis progression.
With permission from Excerpta Medica Inc.

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