Study Finds Universal Rise In Cholesterol After Menopause Among Bolivian Tsimane Women

Trending 2 months ago

Deep successful nan Bolivian Amazon exists a forager-horticultural organization called nan Tsimane. Researchers look to them for insights connected really nan quality assemblage functioned anterior to modern technologies, arsenic their lifestyles stay nan closest to that of our ancestors. Oftentimes researchers find really we person navigated distant from our evolutionary path, specified arsenic nan Tsimane having nan lowest rates of dementia, nan healthiest hearts, and debased late-age inflammation than those surviving successful industrialized nations. But, caller investigation from Arizona State University, has discovered a cosmopolitan acquisition – post-menopausal women experiencing accrued humor lipid levels, specified arsenic cholesterol. 

Published coming successful nan Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, "Higher humor lipid levels aft modulation to menopause successful 2 forager-horticulturalist populations," looked astatine respective humor lipids, for illustration cholesterol, that are awesome contributing factors to bosom disease. In industrialized nations, specified arsenic nan United States and nan United Kingdom, women notably acquisition an accrued consequence of bosom illness post-menopause, including an summation successful those humor lipids. 

While we person bully information from industrialized populations, to our knowledge, cipher had looked astatine this narration successful a non-industrial, highly progressive organization for illustration nan Tsimane before."

Madeleine Getz, PhD student studying world wellness successful ASU's School of Human Evolution and Social Change, and lead writer connected nan study

The results of nan study recovered that for nan Tsimane, 5 of nan six factors – including triglycerides, full cholesterin and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterin – were higher aft menopause.

"While nan quality varied by marker, they were betwixt 1.5 to 11% higher aft menopause. To spot these consequence factors summation aft menopause successful this population, contempt their incredibly debased levels of bosom disease, was unexpected," Getz said, who is besides an affiliated postgraduate student pinch ASU's Center for Evolution and Medicine and nan Institute of Human Origins. 

Despite this summation being 2 to 7 times little than those documented successful populations successful nan U.S and nan U.K., nan marked summation successful post-menopausal lipid biomarkers for nan Tsimane makes for a akin shape contempt vastly different lifestyles and diets. 

"This suggests that these increases successful cholesterin astir menopause whitethorn beryllium a quality universal, nary matter really aliases wherever we live," Getz said.

Living a accepted hunter-farmer lifestyle, nan Tsimane travel a fare free of processed foods and support precocious levels of beingness activity, averaging astir 15-20,000 steps per day. Their measurement of life intimately mirrors that of early quality societies, providing valuable insights into really modern environments power illness and aging. 

Benjamin Trumble, elder writer connected nan study and professor successful ASU's School of Human Evolution and Social Change, serves arsenic nan co-director of nan Tsimane Health and Life History Project. The group has a longstanding narration pinch nan Tsimane to cod demographic and biomedical data, arsenic good arsenic helps to supply aesculapian attraction for nan organization – a narration that has been successful effect for much than 20 years. 

"Working pinch populations for illustration nan Tsimane allows america to world variety successful some menopause, arsenic good arsenic quality wellness and disease" said Trumble. "The findings present propose that menopause is associated pinch accrued consequence factors for bosom disease, moreover successful nan organization pinch nan healthiest hearts successful nan world. That suggests that post-menopausal increases successful bosom illness whitethorn beryllium a quality universal, and portion of our underlying physiology sloppy of manner choices." 

Source:

Journal reference:

Getz, M. J., et al. (2025). Higher humor lipid levels aft nan modulation to menopause successful 2 forager-horticulturalist populations. Evolution Medicine and Public Health. doi.org/10.1093/emph/eoaf020

More