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Losing weight can help alleviate bothersome menopause symptoms, according to a new study.

New research reveals that behavioral weight loss can successfully help reduce hot flashes associated with menopause.

After studying 40 overweight or obese white and African-American women with hot flashes, researchers found that hot flashes are the most common menopausal symptom, with more than 70 percent of participants reporting hot flashes during the menopausal transition.

Researchers said the latest findings are important because women with hot flashes are significantly more likely to experience poor quality of life, sleep problems, depression.

After evaluating results before and after the study using physiologic monitoring, diary and questionnaires, researchers found a significant link between the degree of weight loss and the degree of hot flash reduction.

"This is encouraging news for women looking for relief for this bothersome midlife symptom," Dr. Margery Gass, MD, The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Executive Director, said in a news release.

"Not only might behavior weight loss provide a safe, effective remedy for many women, but it also encourages a health-promoting behavior. Since many of the women in this pilot study indicated their primary motivator for losing weight was hot flash reduction, we know that this could be a strong incentive for women to engage in a healthier lifestyle which provides numerous other health benefits beyond hot flash management," she added.

The findings were published last month in the journal Menopause.