A U.S. study knowns as the Women's Health Initiative finds women in menopause appear to have a lower risk of heart disease thanks to the hot flashes, according to the journal Menopause.

It said Thursday women who experienced their worst hot flashes and night sweats around the time menopause started had a 17 percent lower rate of stroke and an 11 percent lower rate of heart-related health problems during a followup period of nearly 10 years than women who had no initial symptoms.

The findings are based on an analysis of more than 60,000 postmenopausal women ages 50 to 79.

"It is reassuring that these symptoms, which are experienced by so many women, do not seem to correlate with increased risk of cardiovascular disease," said Dr. Emily Szmuilowicz of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, who headed the research team, "Hot flashes will never be enjoyable, but perhaps these findings will make them more tolerable.'' (Agencies)

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