Diet and Menopause

This 2019 study investigated whether diet relates to quality of life among women aged 50 to 64 years. The women participants chosen for this study were in their climacteric period (perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause). Some believe that during this stage of life, environmental factors such as imbalanced diets can promote the onset of ailments. Thus, the women were assessed on quality of life using a popular tool called the SF-36 questionnaire (Short Form Health Survey). In addition, the Questionnaire of Eating Behaviour (QEB) was completed by the 274 working women living in Biała Podlaska and the surrounding areas in Poland. With regards to their lives, the women worked at the State School of Higher Education in a wide range of job positions (teaching, administrative, economic department). The quality of life reported by these women were significantly different to the average Polish women aged 50 to 60 years in all categories of the SF-36 questionnaire except for pain and general health. With regards to diet, the healthy diet group consumed fruits, vegetables, and whole meal bread the most frequently. But the respondents of this questionnaire reported legumes, fish, and curd cheese as the least frequently eaten foods. Of the unhealthy products, the women most often chose sweets (at least once a week), cheese and fried food. Lastly, there was a strong correlation between healthy diets with better mental function, functioning in society, emotionality, vitality, as well as well-being. These findings indicated that adult women (aged 50-64 years) in Poland with healthy diets had a higher quality of life than those with unhealthy diets. [NPID: per-menopause, menopause, post-menopause, quality of life, diet, dietary behaviors, Poland, healthy diets, health]

The purpose of this 2018 study was to assess whether the cognitive function of postmenopausal women is affected by the inflammatory potential of their diet or their circulating level of inflammatory biomarkers. The biochemical inflammatory biomarkers analyzed in this trial include c-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). The 222 postmenopausal women in Korea were assessed on the inflammatory potential of their diets through a dietary inflammatory index. Those participants with an inflammatory diet showed significantly higher cognitive function (indicated by the Mini-Mental State Examination) than those with the most pro-inflammatory diets. These women with inflammatory diets also had significantly lower BMI, TNF-α concentrations, and percentage fat mass, compared with postmenopausal women with the most pro-inflammatory diets. Moreover, the authors discovered that women with cognitive impairment had substantially higher IL-6 concentrations, were less educated, and less physically active, compared with cognitively “normal” women. Women with the most proinflammatory diets were more likely to have cognitive damage compared to those with the most anti-inflammatory diets, even after adjustments were made in the analysis models. To conclude, dietary inflammation may increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction among postmenopausal women. Following an anti-inflammatory dietary pattern may help prevent cognitive decline. [NPID: cognition, cognitive impairment, inflammation, diet, inflammatory diets, postmenopause, menopause, Korea, inflammatory diet]

This 2019 study recruited 393 Iranian postmenopausal women to collect data on the relationship between dietary fat quality and menopausal symptoms. Dietary information was taken through a validated food frequency questionnaire, while menopausal symptoms were assessed using a menopausal rating scale (MRS) questionnaire. There were more somatic symptoms reported by the highest group of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) consumers, compared with women in the lowest quartile for MUFA intake. Similarly, women in the top tier for n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) consumption and those who had the highest n-3:n-6 PUFA ratios showed less somatic symptoms, in comparison to those in the bottom tier and those with the lowest n-3:n-6 PUFA ratios. In addition, those who consumed the most n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and with the highest n-3:n-6 PUFA ratio were more likely to experience fewer psychological symptoms. Lastly, ingesting more EPA and docosahexaenoic acid was linked with fewer urogenital symptoms. In conclusion, postmenopausal women who want to improve their menopausal symptoms may find it helpful to eat diets low in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), high in n-3 PUFA, and with a more favorable ratio of n-3:n-6 PUFA. [NPID: monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, diet, nutrition, fatty acids, menopause, postmenopause, PUFA ratio, psychological symptoms, fat quality]

This 2021 review aimed to analyze the literature on the relationship between dietary intake and menopausal symptoms among postmenopausal women. After conducting a search on various databases for related studies, 3828 articles were identified, and 73 studies were included in this review. The association between intensity of menopausal symptoms with nutrient and food intake and eating patterns was evaluated in 19 of these articles. Studies looking at diet quality and dietary patterns revealed that eating more vegetables, whole grains, and unprocessed foods was linked with having lower-intensity psychological symptoms, sleep disorders, and vasomotor (e.g. hot flashes), urogenital, and somatic symptoms. The intensity of these symptoms also correlated with consumption of high-processed foods, saturated fats, and sugars. In the studies examining nutrients and individual foods, the authors found interlinks between caffeine intake and type of fat intake with intensity of menopausal symptoms. In summary, this review concludes that dietary intake is related to the severity of menopausal symptoms, but the evidence for the relationship between dietary consumption and menopausal symptoms is inconsistent, inconclusive, and in short supply. [NPID: diet, menopause, menopausal symptoms, hot flashes, psychological, sleep, nutrition, menopause severity, processed foods, caffeine]

This 2021 study aimed to find out whether the carbohydrate quality of foods can affect menopausal symptoms. An experiment was conducted on 393 postmenopausal women in the south of Tehran, Iran. Menopausal symptoms were evaluated using the menopause rating scale (MRS), while dietary data was collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire. This allowed researchers to determine the carbohydrate quality index (CQI) of each participant’s diet by using 3 indices (dietary fiber, glycemic index, and the ratio of solid carbohydrates to total carbohydrates). The analysis models identified a negative relationship between carbohydrate quality index (CQI) and total menopausal rating scale score, somatic score, and psychological score (after adjusting for multiple variables). The logistic regression analysis models indicated that postmenopausal women with higher carbohydrate index scores generally scored lower in terms of total menopausal rating scale, compared with those women with poorer carbohydrate index scores. Higher carbohydrate quality was also linked with lower somatic and psychological scores. These findings suggest that using carbohydrate quality index may be useful for developing effective dietary interventions aimed at reducing menopausal symptoms. [NPID: carbohydrate quality, menopause, menopausal symptoms, post menopause, Iran, diet, glycemic index, dietary fiber]

The purpose of this 2020 study was to determine the possible link between eating trans fatty acids and having depressive symptoms among midlife women. The data used for study was taken from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). The 3095 women included were aged 42 to 52 years. The analysis models indicated that higher trans fatty acid intake was associated with greater scores in the depression assessment (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scores). This relationship was noted in both the linear and logistic regression models. But stratified analysis results showed that trans fatty acid intake was not significantly connected with depressive symptoms in early perimenopausal women (undergoing the transitional period before menopause). According to the sensitivity analyses, the correlation between trans fatty acid intake and depressive symptoms was not affected by the use of antidepressants. In summary, eating more trans fatty acids may be related to increased depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women but not in early perimenopausal ladies. [NPID: postmenopause, perimenopause, trans fatty acids, diet, depression, midlife]

Since women experience physiological changes during menopause such as redistribution of fat tissue, the aim of this 2021 study was to investigate how consuming cocoa-rich chocolate affects the body composition of postmenopausal women. In this clinical trial, postmenopausal women recruited from primary care clinics were randomly chosen to either add 10g of cocoa-rich chocolate to their diets or not undergo any intervention at all. In the intervention group, 99% cocoa chocolate containing 247 kJ (59 kcal) and 65.4 milligrams of polyphenols was taken daily for 6 months. The main effect observed was a reduction in body fat mass and percentage fats among the intervention group, compared with the control group. BMI also decreased over the 6 months, but the impact was not significant. The women who consumed high-cocoa chocolate saw lower body fat mass and percentage in body parts such as the trunk, arms, and legs. This study concluded that adding 10 grams of cocoa-rich chocolate to the diet can reduce body fat mass and percentage in postmenopausal women, without changing their weight. [NPID: cocoa, diet, chocolate, menopause, post menopause, hormones, nutrition, polyphenols, body fat, body composition]

Since oxidative stress has been implicated in the development of mental disorders, and postmenopausal women are at higher risk of these disorders, Abshirini et al. (2019) aimed to assess the association between dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) and depression, stress and anxiety, and also oxidative stress biomarkers, among a group of postmenopausal women. A total of 175 postmenopausal women took part in the study, who were examined on dietary intake [food frequency questionnaire (FFQ)], and mental health [Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-42)]. The participants’ dietary and serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA), oxidized-LDL, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) concentrations were also taken. The results showed subjects in the highest tertiles of DTAC had significantly lower MDA levels in the blood (p-value<0.001), and also, serum TAC level was significantly higher in those at the second terile of DTAC (p-value = 0.04). In addition, DTAC was discovered to be inversely and independently related to depression and anxiety scores, although no significant correlation was identified with stress score. These findings signify dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) may be used for developing effective dietary measures for reducing depression and anxiety in postmenopausal women. [NPID: menopause, perimenopause, premenopause, female, women, hormone health, hormone therapy, mental disorders, antioxidants, depression, stress, anxiety]

Schreiber & Dautovich (2017) gathered data from on 815 premenopausal and postmenopausal women [taken from the Midlife in the United States II study (MIDUS II)] and examined stress eating as a mediator between depressive symptoms and weight, in addition to menopausal status as a moderator of the connection between depressive symptoms, stress eating, and weight. The overall purpose was to investigate the association between depressive symptoms and weight in midlife women. The measures used included BMI, a coping questionnaire, and the CIDI-SF (evaluates mental and substance disorders such as major depression). Controlling for covariates, depressive symptoms were not directly associated with weight, b= −0.4, 95% CI [−0.4, 0.1]. Stress eating was found to be a significant mediator between depressive symptoms and weight, b= 0.3, 95% CI [0.06, 0.3], although this mediation was conditional on menopausal stage, with depressive symptoms and stress eating significantly linked in postmenopausal, not premenopausal women. Schreiber & Dautovich (2017) concluded that both stress eating and menopausal status significantly contributed to the depressive symptom-weight association. Since psychosocial factors also play an important role in this relationship, this paper proposed focusing on both behavioral factors and menopausal status when identifying who is at risk of developing poor weight outcomes. [NPID: menopause, perimenopause, premenopause, female, women, menolacto, hormone health, hormone therapy, midlife, depression, stress, stress eating, coping mechanisms, MDD, major depressive disorder]

Lim et al. (2020) conducted a multi-center, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial testing the efficacy of Lactobacillus acidophilus YT1 (MENOLACTO) on menopausal symptoms among a female population (aged between 40 and 60) with menopausal symptoms. The women included in the study scored ≥ 20 in the Kupperman index (KMI), which is a measure of menopausal symptom severity. The subjects were assigned to take either 1 × 108 CFU/day MENOLACTO or placebo, and completed a quality of life questionnaire (MENQOL questionnaire) plus were examined on their symptom severity (overall KMI score). Compared to placebo, total and modified KMI scores of the MENOLACTO-taking group were lower (total KMI scores significantly decreased) after 12 weeks. As with KMI scores, the quality of life of the intervention group improved significantly in all 4 of the symptoms examined (physical, psychosocial, vasomotor, and sexual symptoms). No significant differences were found between the groups in levels of blood follicle-stimulating hormone, estradiol, nor endometrial thickness. Without notable side effects, the MENOLACTO alleviated menopausal symptoms and improved the women’s quality of life. The findings suggest its potential role as an alternative supplement to reduce menopausal symptoms in women ineligible for hormonal therapy. [NPID: menopause, perimenopause, premenopause, Lactobacillus acidophilus, female, women, menolacto, quality of life, hormone health, estradiol, endometrial thickness, hormone therapy]