 |
|
 |
|
MENOPAUSE - Time
to focus on Nutrition... |
 |
Ladies
- You've reached the halfway point of your lives.
Now make the second half simpler, healthier, better... |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
WHAT
IS MENOPAUSE?
Menopause is the
period in a woman's life when her ovaries stop
producing eggs and as a result her body produces
less estrogen and progesterone. Consequently,
menstruation becomes less frequent, eventually
stopping altogether. This transient period poses
a lot of challenges for some women, but is manageable
for others. |
| Estrogen
and Progesterone, are two important hormones necessary
for normal menstrual cycles and successful pregnancies.
Estrogen also helps to keep bones healthy, may
help reduce a woman’s blood cholesterol levels,
help keep skin and arteries more elastic, and
possibly help her memory. |
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
| WHAT'S
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PERIMENOPAUSE, &
MENOPAUSE. |
|
| Perimenopause is
the pre-stage to Menopause and includes
a period (4 – 5yrs) before the onset
of menopause. During this phase, women begin
to experience a few of the symptoms of menopause
including hot flashes, depression &
irregular periods but are also still experiencing
ovulation. |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
| OVERT
SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSE |
|
|
Cessation
of menstrual periods. |
|
|
Mood swings, hot flashes |
|
|
Lack of energy |
|
|
Irritability, Depression |
|
|
Anxiety & palpitations |
|
|
Vaginal dryness and urgency to urinate. |
|
|
 |
| HIDDEN
RISKS OF MENOPAUSE |
During
menopause estrogen levels get dramatically
reduced. These reduced levels cause an
increase in LDL levels (bad cholesterol)
and decrease in HDL levels (good
cholesterol). Elevated LDL and total cholesterol
can lead to stroke, heart attack, and death. Additionally,
stress can reduce estrogen levels much earlier
in life causing damage to arteries.
During a heart attack, women unlike men do not
experience overt symptoms such as chest pains
or pain that may radiate to their arms, necks,
or shoulder blades They may simply have some fatigue
or tiredness and a sense of discomfort which they
might ignore.
We urge all women of pre-menopausal and menopausal
age to have their lipid profiles checked
to ensure they are in the normal range. If the
tests come back elevated, then dietary interventions
to address these levels is recommended.
Bone loss is another worrying
factor during menopause as it often occurs without
symptoms and is also a direct result of low estrogen
levels in women*. Osteoporosis needs to be recognized
as a silent disease that women need to address
before it sets in. A bone density test will also
show if the woman is at elevated risk levels for
bone fractures.
Women over the age of 50 have the greatest risk
of developing osteoporosis. In fact, women are
four times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis.
*Journal of Clinical Endocrinology
& Metabolism, Vol 71, 1288-1293, Copyright
© 1990 by Endocrine Society |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
| CAUSES OF
MENOPAUSE |
|
| As
women age the ovaries produce less estrogen
and progesterone resulting in decreased
fertility & ovulation, which eventually
ceases menstrual cycle or leads to the onset
of menopause. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| DIETARY
GUIDELINES DURING TRANSITION INTO MENOPAUSE. |
 |
| Nutritional
needs vary from woman to woman and change with
her age. |
| CALCIUM
- A healthy premenopausal woman should have about
1,000 mgs of calcium per day. A post menopausal
needs 1,200mg daily. Foods high in calcium include
milk, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products,
oysters, sardines and canned salmon with bones;
and dark-green leafy vegetables like spinach and
broccoli. These foods provide a diet that is rich
in calcium and vitamin D. Divide 3 servings of
calcium rich foods throughout the day as they
are better absorbed spread over a period of time. |
|
WATER
- Drink plenty of water (8 to 10 glasses/ day)
to keep hot flashes at bay.
COMPLEX
CARBS - Complex carbs such
as whole grain breads, cereals, pasta help increase
the levels of serotonin which in turn ease depression,
mood swings and irritability.
FRUITS
& VEGETABLES - 5-6 servings
a day. Be sure to eat plenty of vegetables and
fruits as salads. Choose from citrus fruits
like oranges, lemons, berries, yellow and orange
fruits, dark green leafy veggies, tomatoes,
peppers, cabbage, carrots & broccoli, etc.
PYTOESTROGEN
RICH FOODS - such as lentils,
legumes, plums, nuts, soymilk, flax seed, dried
apricots and dates not only ease hot flashes
and vaginal dryness but more importantly keep
the heart healthy & reduce bone loss and
osteoporosis.
|
MAGNESIUM
- Rich foods such as nuts, kidney beans, soybean,
banana, baked potato, lentils etc help relax muscles
and ease symptoms like irritability, insomnia,
and mood swings caused due to hormonal imbalanaces.
OMEGA
3's FATTY ACIDS - 2-3 servings
a week Include foods such as walnuts, flax seeds,
pumpkin seeds, canola oil, olive oil, eggs &
oily fish such as (mackerel, sardines etc) as
they are rich in omega 3 fatty acids and help
regulate hormone levels, reduce CVD, act as a
natural anti-depressant & as a mood elevator. |
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
| The
Best Treatment
to alleviate menopausal symptoms is exercise.
Weight- bearing exercise such as walking &
running will help increase bone mass. Bone like
every other tissue renews itself regularly, but
if one does not exercise regularly, bone tissue
will rebuild without any weight- bearing ability. |
|
|
All post menopausal women should do at least
moderate exercise to preserve bone mass in the
spine and help reduce the risk of fractures.
|
 |
The other positive effect of exercise
is that of a mood elevator. During exercise,
certain feel good hormones called `endorphins'
get released in the brain which bring
about a happy and positive frame of mind
so you can deal with stress effectively
Even 30 minutes of exercise each day has
a mood elevating effect lasting for several
hours. So it is advisable that all women
near menopause consult their doctor and
start on an exercise regimen. Start gradually
and slowly build on to a more strenuous
one.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
OTHER
TREATMENTS TO MANAGE MENOPAUSE
What is Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)?
|
 |
| HRT
is a combination therapy comprising of estrogen
and progestin hormones given orally once a day
to help alleviate symptoms of menopause. Estrogen
and progestin are two female sex hormones that
are replaced by HRT as they are no longer being
produced in sufficient quantities by the body. |
|
|
Estrogen
reduces most menopausal symptoms, but it
does not relieve nervousness or depression.
It also prevents thinning of the bones (osteoporosis). |
|
|
Progestin is added to estrogen in hormone
replacement therapy to reduce the risk of
uterine cancer in women. |
|
Is
it effective?
Among
the scientific and medical community there is
no consensus on the risks and benefits to women
undergoing hormone therapy.
What
are the risks?
HRT has
a few underlying serious risks. It can increase
your risk for developing breast cancer, heart
disease and stroke. Each woman's own risks vary
depending upon her health history dietary intake
and exercise factor. Discuss with your primary
care doctor whether you should take HRT. If yes,
it should be the lowest dose needed and for the
shortest duration possible. With a re- evaluation
every six months.
Side
effects of HRT.
The hormone
estrogen in HRT can occasionally cause nausea,
bloating, breast tenderness or headaches. Progestin,
the other hormone in HRT, causes water retention,
bloating, irritability, mood swings and anxiety.
The higher the progestin dose, the greater the
chance of side effects. |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact
one of our dieticians's to personalize your
diet, if you have
recently undergone menopause or have a question
on nutrition and
lifestyle issues.
|
|
|
|
|
Bangalore,
Lucknow, New Delhi , New York
www.NutritionVista.com
|
|
|
|
