After the age of 40, if you have problems with menstrual disorders, hot flashes, night sweats, memory loss, inability to concentrate, insomnia, and vaginal dryness, it is likely that you have reached menopause.
In addition to these annoying symptoms, menopause is also at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, is there any food or supplement that can improve these Question, this article will talk about the system.
1. Common symptoms and high-incidence diseases of menopause
See this picture for common symptoms.
In addition to these symptoms, menopause is more prone to cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.
1. Cardiovascular disease
Estrogen has protective effects on the cardiovascular system in women, such as inhibiting the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. [1] After menopause, the ovaries stop secreting estrogen. Although the adrenal glands and fat can secrete estrogen, the amount secreted is very small, which greatly weakens the protective power of estrogen on the cardiovascular system after menopause.
So postmenopausal women are more prone to cardiovascular problems such as atherosclerosis, myocardial ischemia, cerebral ischemia, myocardial infarction, hypertension, dyslipidemia,[1] Cardiovascular disease ranks first among problems affecting the health of postmenopausal women. [2]
2. Osteoporosis
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Estrogen can promote the secretion of calcitonin from the thyroid gland, inhibit bone loss, and have a protective effect on bones. The level of estrogen during menopause decreases significantly and bone loss increases.
About the age of 40, the rate of bone loss is 1% to 2% per year, and the rate of bone loss in menopause is 3% to 5% per year, so the risk of osteoporosis in menopausal women is higher.
It is also estimated that postmenopausal women are 4.88 times more likely to develop abdominal obesity than premenopausal women.
The dramatic reduction in estrogen levels during menopause leads to relatively high and increased bioavailability of androgens, which androgens promote abdominal fat accumulation,[3 ] Menopause abdominal obesity may have this reason.
Abdominal obesity will further increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It can be seen that It is especially important to control weight gain, especially abdominal fat, by balancing eating and exercise after menopause.
Second, to improve symptoms, 4 kinds of hot-selling supplements are not recommended
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There are four main products on the market that claim to improve menopausal symptoms, namely soy isoflavones, black cohosh, red clover, and St. John’s wort extract .
Do they really improve menopause symptoms? That’s what the Office of Dietary Supplements, part of the National Institutes of Health, said after putting together relevant research.
Soy isoflavones may help reduce the frequency and severity of menopausal hot flashes, but the effect may be small. [4]
Research on the effects of red clover on menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes has been inconsistent. [5]
Black cohosh extract, approved for treatment in Europe, appears to reduce menopausal symptoms. [6]
St. John’s wort may help with menopause symptoms, but there isn’t enough evidence to know for sure. [7]
So don’t expect any supplements to improve menopausal symptoms, it’s more effective to get plenty of rest, exercise regularly, and relax than to eat. Although eating is useless in improving menopausal symptoms, Scientific diet can reduce the risk of various chronic diseases that menopause is more likely to suffer from, which will be discussed in detail below.
Three, 5 kinds of foods to eat during menopause
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1. Foods rich in calcium
Eating more calcium-rich foods can strengthen bones and help prevent osteoporosis in menopause. The “Expert Consensus on Core Information of Menopause Health Management” recommends 1,000 per day for menopause mg calcium.
2 packs of milk, 5 pieces of mahjong-sized northern tofu, and 4 pieces of rapeseed can be enough, in order to ensure enough calcium, you can eat this every day A combination of calcium supplements, and don’t forget to take vitamin D preparations at the same time to promote calcium absorption.
2. Vegetables
Eating more vegetables during menopause can alleviate the decline of memory and cognitive function, and the Canadian Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has clear recommendations for this in guidelines. [8]
Vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, which reduces cholesterol absorption and benefits cardiovascular health.
A large number of studies have shown that eating more vegetables can also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Eating an extra 80 grams of vegetables a day can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 15%. [9]
In addition, vegetables have low energy density, which is also beneficial for weight control during menopause. Vitamin K in vegetables can also promote calcium deposition on bones, which is also helpful for bone health.
Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents recommends 300-500 grams of vegetables per day, and if you eat 1-2 fists of vegetables per meal, the daily amount of vegetables will definitely meet the standard. Also remember that at least half are dark vegetables, because dark vegetables are more nutrient-dense than light-colored vegetables, such as antioxidants.
3. Foods rich in n-3 fatty acids
n-3 fatty acids help heart health[10]. Menopause has a high risk of cardiovascular disease, so it is recommended to eat more. Specifically how to eat?
Add flaxseed oil and walnut oil rich in n-3 fatty acids to cooking oil, eat aquatic products at least twice a week, and eat at least a palm-sized piece each time, preferably with low mercury content , Salmon, mackerel, sea bass and cod are high in n-3 fatty acids.
4. Foods rich in high-quality protein
Bone strength, muscle mass, and weight control during menopause require adequate amounts of high-quality protein. Observational studies have shown that adequate protein intake is associated with higher lean body mass in postmenopausal women. [11]
An important source of high-quality protein is meat, eggs, milk, and beans.
In addition to eating aquatic products at least twice a week, you should also eat 40-75 grams of livestock and poultry meat every day, including lean meat, try not to eat fat with high saturated fatty acid content Meat, because excessive intake of saturated fatty acids is not good for cardiovascular health.
In addition to being a source of high-quality protein, soy and its products also contain soy lecithin, soy isoflavones, phytosterols and other healthy ingredients. Studies have found that eating more soy and its products , may reduce the risk of breast cancer and osteoporosis in premenopausal women.
5. Water
Menopause is prone to night sweats, so pay special attention to water supplementation, drink at least 1500 ml of water every day, about 3 mineral water bottles.
Today’s Engagement: Let’s talk about women and diet.
References:
[1] Menopause Health Branch of Chinese Preventive Medicine Association. Expert consensus on the core information of menopause health management [J]. Electronic Journal of Practical Gynecology Endocrinology, 2022, 9(1):10.
[2] General Practitioners Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Community and Grassroots Branch of Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Society. Expert consensus on health management of menopausal women (primary version)[J]. Chinese General Medicine, 2021 , 24(11):8.
[3] Kozakowski J, Gietka-Czernel M, Leszczyńska D, Majos A. Obesity in menopause – our negligence or an unfortunate inevitability? Prz Menopauzalny. 2017 Jun;16(2):61 -65. doi: 10.5114/pm.2017.68594. Epub 2017 Jun 30. PMID: 28721132; PMCID: PMC5509974.
[4] https:https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/soy
[5] https:https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/red-clover
[6] https:https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/black-cohosh
[7] https:https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/st-johns-wort
[8] Shea A , Wolfman W , Fortier M , et al. Guideline No.422c: Menopause: Mood, Sleep, and Cognition.[J]. Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology Canada : JOGC = Journal d’obstetrique et gynecologie du Canada : JOGC, 2021, 43(11):1316-1323.e1.
[9] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents [M]. People’s Health Publishing House, 2022:68
[10] https:https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-Consumer/
[11] Silva TR, Oppermann K, Reis FM, Spritzer PM. Nutrition in Menopausal Women: A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2021 Jun 23;13(7):2149. doi: 10.3390 /nu13072149. PMID: 34201460; PMCID: PMC8308420.