Can Diet Ease Menopausal Symptoms?
Could your diet ease menopausal symptoms? A recent Australian study says yes! Find out the details here
Eating a Mediterranean style diet may be the key to preventing hot flashes and night sweats during menopause. Fresh fruit also added to the likelihood of less menopausal issues, according to a new Australian study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Researchers from the University of Queensland analyzed data collected from over 6,000 women, age 50 to 55, from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health with a natural menopause. Their diet and menopausal symptoms were assessed at the beginning of the study as well as during follow up for a total of nine years.
At the start of the study, 58 percent of participants reported having hot flashes, night sweats or both. At that point and over the next nine years, women who ate a lot of strawberries, pineapple and melon and most closely followed a Mediterranean-style diet - in this case garlic, salad greens, pasta and red wine - were about 20 percent less likely to report hot flashes, after accounting for their other lifestyle habits. The women who ate high-sugar, high-fat diets were 23 percent more likely to experience symptoms.
The study's authors concluded: “Consumption of a fruit or Mediterranean-style diet decreased the risk of reporting VMSs (vasomotor menopausal symptoms), whereas consumption of a high-fat and -sugar diet increased the risk of VMSs. These results may eventually lead to a basis for the development of dietary preventive measures for VMSs.”
The study can't prove certain foods prevent or trigger hot flashes, researchers said. But it's one of the first yet to tie general dietary patterns, to menopause-related symptoms.
Shop smarter! The findings from this study are no different than healthy eating advice SupermarketGuru has been sharing for years – fill your basket with fresh produce, whole grains and well sourced lean meats and you’ll be well on your way to good health, no matter what challenges life brings.
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