The effect of body mass index, physical activity and caffeine consumption on hot flashes in Hispanic women

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of: 1) caffeine consumption; 2) Body Mass Index (BMI); and 3) frequency and intensity of physical activity on the frequency and severity of hot flashes, in pre-menopausal, peri-menopausal, menopausal and post-menopausal Hispanic women. Ordinary Least Squares regressions indicated there was a statistical significant correlation between daily total estimated caffeine intake with frequency (R2=0.078 (F(8, 207)=2.2, P=0.029) and severity of hot flashes (R2=0.086 (F(8, 208)=2.45, P=0.015). Analysis of variance revealed that and increase in frequency of 30 min strength physical activity reduced severity of hot flashes by 0.72 on a hedonic scale (p<0.05). Conversely, caffeine intake of 100 mg increased frequency and severity of hot flashes (p<0.001, p=0.004, respectively).