THE ESSENTIAL
- Diet can impact menopausal symptoms.
- Women who consume a lot of soda and red meat report experiencing more muscle and joint pain.
- Conversely, the Mediterranean diet is associated with better quality of life for postmenopausal women.
Menopause is a time of upheaval. The cessation of ovulation causes a variety of symptoms, which can degrade the quality of life: hot flashes, sleep problems, fatigue, etc. In a new study, published in theEuropean Journal of NutritionAustralian researchers show that diet can help reduce their severity. According to them, eliminating certain foods in favor of others is beneficial for menopausal women.
A study on the eating habits of postmenopausal women
More than 200 Australian women participated in this research. They were 51 years old on average. The researchers asked them questions about their diet and cooking habits in general. Then, they compared their answers with the precepts of the Mediterranean diet. The latter has long been renowned for its beneficial effects on health: it is based on a low consumption of red meat and processed foods, and favors white meats, fish, vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
Menopause: a link between symptoms and diet
According to Tilly Byrne-Kirk, lead author of the study, few participants followed the principles of this diet. “It found that most women’s diets did not meet recommendations for major food groups, including vegetables, legumes, fruit, fish and nuts.she continues. However, she found that the quality of women’s diet could have consequences on the severity of symptoms. “These included night sweats, hot flashes, trouble sleeping, and joint and muscle pain“, she notes.
What diet should postmenopausal women adopt?
Thus, women who consumed fewer sugary drinks were less likely to have joint and muscle pain. The study also concluded that low consumption of red and/or processed meat was associated with improved overall health. Overall, women who most strictly followed the principles of the Mediterranean diet reported feeling better physically: they had more muscular strength, flexibility and ability to perform physical exercises. “Menopause is an inevitable stage of aging for women, with many possible symptoms, concludes Dr. Anthony Villani, who supervised the study. But there is a growing body of research that indicates that aligning their diet with the principles of the Mediterranean diet can help maintain physical function and reduce the risk of chronic disease associated with aging.”
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