Association between menstrual cycle phase and metabolites in healthy, regularly menstruating women in UK Biobank, and effect modification by inflammatory markers and risk factors for metabolic disease.

Cholesterol profiles exhibit a non-linear relationship with the menstrual cycle phase. Physical activity, anthropometric and fitness variables moderate the associations between the menstrual cycle phase and metabolite concentration. These findings indicate the potential importance of physical activity and fat mass as modifiable risk factors of the intra-individual variation in metabolic control across the menstrual cycle in pre-menopausal women.