According to a new US research reported in The Daily Telegraph, women to undergo early menopausal symptoms – like hot flashes and night sweats – apparently have a lower risk of heart disease.

The ten-year study called the Women's Health Initiative, published in the Thursday edition of the journal Menopause, has found that women who experience such symptoms at the onset of menopause are probably less likely to have a heart attack or stroke later in life.

Despite the fact that many women do not experience hot flashes and night sweats, which are common menopausal symptoms, researchers have associated a lesser risk of heart disease in women who had hot flashes early in menopause, vis-à-vis those who have such symptoms later or never in life.

Specifically speaking, the study – based on an analysis of over 60,000 postmenopausal women aged 50-79 years – found that women who had their worst hot flashes and night sweats at the onset of menopause had a 17 percent lower heart-stroke rate and an 11 percent lower rate of heart-related health problems during a follow-up period.

Pointing to the fact that previous studies suggested increased menopausal symptoms were linked to increased risk of heart disease, lead researcher Dr. Emily Szmuilowicz of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said: “It is reassuring that these (menopausal) symptoms do not seem to correlate with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Hot flashes will never be enjoyable, but perhaps these findings will make them more tolerable.'”