Menopause Articles

Diet and the Menopause

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008

Your diet is important at this stage of your life.

Even without the menopause the changes in your body as you age mean that what you eat and how frequently you eat it will change. The better balanced your diet the better your body will work – and that will help with the effects of the menopause. Here are some key elements of a healthy diet

Proteins

Your body needs proteins because it can’t produce all the amino acids it needs by itself.

The only foods which contain all the proteins you need are animal based. Things like meat, fish, eggs and milk.

However plant proteins can be combined to include all of the essential amino acids and form a complete protein. Examples of combined, complete plant proteins are rice + beans, milk + wheat cereal, and corn + beans.

There is evidence that animal proteins increase the rate of calcium loss compared to vegetable proteins and thus can worsen conditions such as osteoporosis – so you don’t have to eat meat– but if you don’t you need to get your mix of non meat foods right!

Fibre

All of us should be eating foods rich in starch and fibre (such as rice, pasta, cereals, potatoes, pulses and fruit and veg). They are low in fat and are good sources of a wide range of essential nutrients as well as keeping the digestive system working smoothly.

Iron rich foods

Iron is important for your body as it is one of the key elements in your blood.

Whilst the best source of iron is, surprise, surprise, red meat you don’t want to eat too much of this. So good alternatives are pulses, oily fish, eggs, bread and green vegetables.

Vitamin C

Everyone knows that vitamin C is good for you, but your body isn’t very good at storing it as it is water soluble.

So, you need to consume regular portions of citrus fruit, fruit juice, green vegetables and things like peppers and potatoes.

Calcium rich foods

Loss of bone density (osteoporosis) is a major problem for women around the time of the menopause. It’s caused by your body using the material from your bones to “top up” shortages of chemicals it needs elsewhere and a reduction in its ability to make new bone.

Calcium rich foods, such as dairy products, broccoli and cabbage and tinned sardines all help to keep the calcium levels in your body up and may reduce bone loss.

You should try to use low fat versions of dairy products to maintain a low fat intake

Phytoestrogens

Phytoestrogens help the body boost its production of oestrogen and so can, to some extent, counteract the lowered oestrogen levels of the menopause.

This can help counter some of the effects such as hot flushes and vaginal dryness, as well as helping to reduce bone loss. In addition they are said to protect against heart disease and some cancers.

The biggest and best of foods containing phytoestrogens is Soya but they are also present in foods such as lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, rice, oats, wheat, broccoli, carrots and potatoes – to name but a few!


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The Male Menopause – Myth or Reality!

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008

It’s a popular discussion point! Husbands and partners frequently look for sympathy because of “the male menopause” that they are allegedly going through.

Now correct us if you think we’re wrong but, as far as we are aware men don’t ovulate or menstruate and, generally speaking, seem to be able to father children to a ripe old age.

You’ve only got to think about the likes of John Humphreys or John Simpson who fathered children when in their 60’s, Rupert Murdoch or Des O’Connor in their 70’s and Julio Iglesias Snr at 89 to realise that men seem to keep going a lot longer than you’d want to believe possible.

So we decided to do a bit of research into the subject.

The first thing is, of course, that men really can’t have a Menopause because, by definition, it’s to do with ceasing to ovulate.

Apparently the correct term is the Andropause and it relates to a gradual reduction in the levels of Androgens in the male body – which effectively seems to mean a reduction in Testosterone levels.

The fact that these changes take place very gradually and don’t have a clear beginning and end in the same way as the female menopause makes it rather difficult to spot the moment when a man can truly say he’s “Andropausal”.

It’s hard to imagine its an expression often heard in discussions in the public bar of the “Dog and Trumpet”.

In addition this all occurs at about the time when men are traditionally going through that critical moment in their lives when their hair starts to fall out big time, they can’t fit in tight jeans anymore and young women in the street start to refer to them as “Dad”.

So its quite difficult to tell what’s Andropause and what’s just the inevitable recognition of the aging process.

However, the symptoms of low testosterone would strike a cord with any one going through the menopause. These are:

  • Low sex drive
  • Emotional, psychological and behavioural changes
  • Decreased muscle mass
  • Loss of muscle strength
  • Increased upper and central body fat
  • Osteoporosis or weak bones and back pain
  • Cardiovascular risk

So perhaps we should have some sympathy for our male partners and friends when they try to tell us that it’s just as bad for them. But not too much!
The other lesson to take from this is that it’s all too easy to put all the aches and pains and ailments women get at this time of life down to the Menopause.

It’s important to recognise that some of it is just the normal wear and tear on our bodies and reflects our stage in life. These things are just as real as the menopause but happen to men and women alike.

So whether it is the Andropause, or just collateral damage he’s suffering from – show some sympathy!


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Reduced bone strength (Osteoporosis)

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008

As we get older our bones tend to get weaker and more prone to breaking. Such breaks are particularly associated with wrists and hips, as well as the long leg bones.

The reason for this is that the processes that constantly rebuild our bones get “out of balance” and the process that removes bone becomes more effective than the process that rebuilds it.

The result is that the bones become less dense, more prone to fracture, and spongier, leading to risks of collapsed vertebrae for example.

This is made worse by a lack of calcium and Vitamin D as our bodies become less efficient at absorbing and manufacturing them.

In women the problem is further exacerbated by the reduced oestrogen levels during the perimenopause and thereafter which lead to the balance between bone construction and destruction tipping even further in favour of the latter.

As a result whilst approximately 1 in 3 women will suffer from Osteoporosis only 1 in 12 men do so.

Ways of reducing bone loss

There are a number of ways in which you can reduce the rate at which bone density reduces. Most of these are equally effective in men and women.

  • Exercise – regular exercise, particularly where there is impact on the bones (such as jogging or jumping), is known to reduce bone loss
  • Increased intake of calcium – calcium supplements can boost the calcium in our bodies and this then makes it “easier” for the body to produce bone
  • Increased intake of Vitamin D – most of the vitamin D we require we produce through the impact of the sun on our skins. However, living fairly far north (in global terms), we tend not to get as much sun as we might need in winter
    In any case as we get older we get less efficient at producing and using Vitamin D and so our requirement increases. Oily fish, especially herring – but also fish like mackerel and salmon, are rich in vitamin D and it is also added to many breakfast cereals
  • HRT – reduced oestrogen during the menopause results in an acceleration of bone loss. The additional oestrogen introduced into the body by HRT slows this process

We stock supplements by Osteocare which boost calcium, magnesium and Vitamin D.

Further information

If you want more detailed information about bone loss and Osteoporosis here are some links to sites that we think you will find helpful:

Menopause Matters

National Osteoporosis Society


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Premature Menopause

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008

In Britain the average age for the onset of the perimenopause is around 50, spanning ages between 45 and 55.

However a number of women experience symptoms of the menopause earlier than this and this is known as a “Premature Menopause”.

Overall 15% of women experience a premature menopause, with most of these being between the ages of 40 and 45. However one in a hundred experience this condition in their 30’s and one in a thousand in their 20’s.


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Causes of Premature Menopause

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008

There are a variety of causes of a premature menopause. The main ones are:

  • Genetic – it runs in the family
  • Treatment – chemotherapy or radiation treatment
  • Autoimmune disorders – such as hypothyroidism, Graves’ disease or lupus
  • Adrenal, pituitary, or thyroid gland deficiencies
  • Other potential causes are sarcoidosis, mumps, some sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis

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