Hormonal changes during menopause may cause cholesterol to rise, study finds

May 12 (UPI) -- About 10% of the rise of bad cholesterol women experience during menopause is caused by shifts in sex hormones, meaning hormone replacement therapy could help, a study published Thursday found.

Menopause was associated with changes in levels of 85 metabolites, with up to 11% increases in low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol, also called "bad" cholesterol, the data presented Thursday by the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology showed.