Higher blood lipid levels after the transition to menopause in two forager-horticulturalist populations

Background Reproduction affects health and longevity among females across the life course. While significant focus has been devoted to the role of menarche, menopause remains understudied. Most menopause research is conducted in industrialized populations, where the risk of cardiovascular diseases increases progressively during the menopausal transition. Methodology We worked with the Tsimane, Indigenous Bolivian forager-farmers with physically active lifestyles, and the Moseten, genetically and culturally related horticulturalists experiencing greater market integration. We assessed relationships between menopause status and lipid biomarkers (HDL, LDL, non-HDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoprotein-B). Using linear mixed-effects models, in an all-age sample of n = 1,121 women (15–92 years) we found positive associations between menopausal status and most lipid levels. Results Menopause was associated with 5.0% higher total cholesterol (b = 7.038 mg/dL, P = .001), 9.4% higher LDL (b = 5.147 mg/dL, P = .017), 5.9% higher non-HDL cholesterol (b = 8.071 mg/dL, P