## 4 Discussion  
The data presented offer a compelling foundation for investigating the correlations between body composition and BP, highlighting the importance of considering body composition as a factor influencing BP. Despite the limited sample size of our population, the observed correlations reveal weak, yet significant relationships between specific anthropometric measures and BP. These preliminary findings emphasize the necessity for further research with a larger population, to explore these relationships in greater depth. Moreover, the results suggest that body composition could serve as a valuable marker for identifying individuals at risk of hypertension or other BP-related disorders, especially in post-menopausal women. Integrating measurements of body composition with routine BP assessments may enhance our understanding of the pathophysiology underlying cardiovascular diseases and facilitate the development of more personalized preventive and therapeutic strategies. The findings of our study reveal pronounced differences in physiological parameters between the MWGG and MWMG. Notably a significant increase in AI@75 was observed in the MWGG compared to the MWMG, thus suggesting a condition of increased arterial stiffness and potentially elevated cardiovascular risk among women experiencing menopausal weight gain. Previous studies focusing on arterial stiffness in the context of obesity have rarely included assessments of peripheral wave reflection, such as AI@75, thus highlighting an emerging interest in the role of these parameters in evaluating arterial health in obese individuals [18]. While PWV relies on aortic wall stiffness and lumen diameter, AI@75-gauge peripheral wave reflection delineates central pressure wave characteristics within the aorta. Specifically, AI@75 denotes the proportion of central pulse pressure attributable to the late systolic pressure increase resulting from the convergence of forward and reflected pressure waves [19]. Our findings indicate that MWGG is strongly correlated with increased adiposity, as evidenced by higher BMI, total fat mass, and percentage of total fat mass evaluated with DEXA. These results align with previous research linking menopausal transition with alterations in body composition, marked by an increase in adiposity [20]. Interestingly, the MWGG was also associated with a reduced lean-to-fat mass ratio, suggesting a shift towards less favorable body composition characterized by decreased muscle mass relative to fat mass even if we did not observe significant differences in the ASMI. While menopausal weight gain is associated with changes in overall adiposity and metabolic parameters, it may not necessarily affect muscle mass distribution in this cohort significantly. Furthermore, our study highlights significant metabolic changes associated with the MWGG, including higher levels of insulinemia, LDL-C, triglycerides, and unfavorable lipid ratios such as Tyg Index, Chol Tot/HDL, LDL/HDL, and TG/HDL, coupled with lower levels of HDL-C. These findings confirm a dysregulation in lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity among women experiencing menopausal weight gain, a phenomenon extensively documented in the literature [21; 22] that may contribute to increased cardiovascular risk in this population. This emphasizes the necessity for targeted prevention efforts during this vulnerable phase of women's lives (menopause transition), when a close monitoring is important to prevent these sequelae  
Thyroid hormones play a crucial role in regulating metabolism, and alterations in thyroid function can have significant metabolic consequences, including changes in energy expenditure and lipid metabolism. The significative decrease in FT3 and thyroid hormone conversion and metabolic activity (FT3/FT4 ratio) in the MWGG, suggests a reduced peripheral conversion of T4 to the more metabolically active T3 hormone [23, 24].