When people hear about uric acid, it’s almost always in the context of it being a causal factor for gout. But if more people knew the full extent of how it affects our metabolism, cardiovascular health, and risk for Alzheimer’s and dementia, we might pay more attention to it. In this episode of Health Theory, Dr. David Perlmutter returns with the latest research on how uric acid is about much more than just gout. He explains the relationship between uric acid, insulin, and fructose, why it doesn’t mean that all fruits are bad for you, and how our modern problem with uric acid is actually the result of a disconnect between evolution and environment.
Women who eat bananas, avocados and salmon could reduce the negative effects of salt in the diet, according to a study published today in European Heart Journal, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 The study found that potassium-rich diets were associated with lower blood pressure, particularly in women with high salt intake.
“It is well known that high salt consumption is associated with elevated blood pressure and a raised risk of heart attacks and strokes,” said study author Professor Liffert Vogt of Amsterdam University Medical Centers, the Netherlands. “Health advice has focused on limiting salt intake but this is difficult to achieve when our diets include processed foods. Potassium helps the body excrete more sodium in the urine. In our study, dietary potassium was linked with the greatest health gains in women.”
The study included 24,963 participants (11,267 men and 13,696 women) of the EPIC-Norfolk study, which recruited 40 to 79 year olds from general practices in Norfolk, UK, between 1993 and 1997. The average age was 59 years for men and 58 years for women. Participants completed a questionnaire on lifestyle habits, blood pressure was measured, and a urine sample was collected. Urinary sodium and potassium were used to estimate dietary intake. Participants were divided into tertiles according to sodium intake (low/medium/high) and potassium intake (low/medium/high).
The researchers analysed the association between potassium intake and blood pressure after adjusting for age, sex and sodium intake. Potassium consumption (in grams per day) was associated with blood pressure in women – as intake went up, blood pressure went down. When the association was analysed according to sodium intake (low/medium/high), the relationship between potassium and blood pressure was only observed in women with high sodium intake, where every 1 gram increase in daily potassium was associated with a 2.4 mmHg lower systolic blood pressure. In men, there was no association between potassium and blood pressure.
During a median follow-up of 19.5 years, 13,596 (55%) participants were hospitalised or died due to cardiovascular disease. The researchers analysed the association between potassium intake and cardiovascular events after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, sodium intake, use of lipid lowering drugs, smoking, alcohol intake, diabetes and prior heart attack or stroke. In the overall cohort, people in the highest tertile of potassium intake had a 13% lower risk of cardiovascular events compared to those in the lowest tertile. When men and women were analysed separately, the corresponding risk reductions were 7% and 11%, respectively. The amount of salt in the diet did not influence the relationship between potassium and cardiovascular events in men or women.
Professor Vogt said: “The results suggest that potassium helps preserve heart health, but that women benefit more than men. The relationship between potassium and cardiovascular events was the same regardless of salt intake, suggesting that potassium has other ways of protecting the heart on top of increasing sodium excretion.”
The World Health Organization recommends that adults consume at least 3.5 grams of potassium and less than 2 grams of sodium (5 grams of salt) per day.2 High potassium foods include vegetables, fruit, nuts, beans, dairy products and fish. For example, a 115 gram banana has 375 mg of potassium, 154 grams of cooked salmon has 780 mg, a 136 gram potato has 500 mg, and 1 cup of milk has 375 mg.
Professor Vogt concluded: “Our findings indicate that a heart healthy diet goes beyond limiting salt to boosting potassium content. Food companies can help by swapping standard sodium-based salt for a potassium salt alternative in processed foods. On top of that, we should all prioritise fresh, unprocessed foods since they are both rich in potassium and low in salt.”
With plant-based diets now being linked to reduced menopausal symptoms, nutrition experts Free Soul have analysed the most unexpected ways that going vegan could support women experiencing menopause.
Key
Findings:
Doctors are claiming that treating menopause as a hormone deficiency and over-medicalising the condition can increase anxiety and stress in women.
Recent research also found that negative expectations of menopause increased the likelihood of women experiencing distressing symptoms.
Over 75% of menopausal women report their symptoms, with almost a quarter describing them as severe and although many women achieve reduced symptoms from hormone therapy, changing diet and regular exercise can also relieve symptoms.
Six key medical organisations, including the British Menopause Society and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, have drawn up 11 new standards for menopause care which focus on lifestyle advice and dietary modification.
Adopting a plant-based, soy-rich diet has been proven to reduce moderate-to-severe hot flushes in menopause by 84%.
A recent study has uncovered that menopausal women who followed a vegan diet with no other restrictions lost more weight at a higher rate overall than those following a low-fat restricted diet.
How
Severe are Menopausal Symptoms?
It’s no
secret that menopause is not a chapter that many women look forward to in their
lives. Menopausal symptoms last for an average duration of 7 years, with 1 in 3 women experiencing symptoms beyond this
time. This time in a woman’s life impacts individuals in different ways,
however common symptoms of menopause and perimenopause include
hot flushes, anxiety, fatigue, poor sleep or insomnia and weight gain.
Long-term,
more concerning health issues related to menopause can include
reduced libido, osteoporosis, heart disease and even dementia as a result of
lowered oestrogen levels.
What
are the Experts Saying?
When it comes
to managing symptoms and providing sufficient support to women experiencing
menopause, six key medical organisations, including the British Menopause Society and Royal College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists, have drawn up 11 new standards for menopause care.
Within the
new standards is a call for a “holistic and individualised approach” in
assessing and advising women with particular reference to lifestyle advice and
dietary modification. These 2022 standards suggest that the UK’s main
authorities on menopause and peri-menopause are acknowledging the importance of
diet as a tool to manage menopause symptoms. Additionally, the British Dietetic Association highlight that a range of lifestyle
changes can reduce the severity of symptoms and whilst hormone replacement
therapy (HRT) can be used to help many women control symptoms, some cannot take
the treatment due to health issues and others simply choose not to. They
outline diet and taking the correct dietary
supplements as key
factors that can help women to reduce their symptoms.
Ingredients
in dietary supplements specifically targeted to menopause and perimenopause,
such as Free Soul’s Peri-Menopause Advanced Support, have been proven to
effectively relieve symptoms. For instance, multiple studies have demonstrated that isoflavone,
found in many menopause and perimenopause supplements, effectively reduces hot
flushes, reduces lumbar spine bone mineral density loss and improves glycaemic
control.
In terms of diet, adopting a plant-based, soy-rich diet
has been proven reduce moderate-to-severe hot flushes
in menopause by 84% according to a recent study. During the 12-week study, nearly 60% of women became
totally free of moderate-to-severe hot flushes, demonstrating the undeniable
power of choosing to go vegan during menopause.
5 Ways
That Going Vegan Could Help with Managing Menopause Symptoms
Minimising
Hot Flushes
Night sweats
and hot flushes, also known as vasomotor symptoms, impact 80% of women during menopause. However, adopting a
vegan diet can dramatically reduce these symptoms, with the Women’s Study for the Alleviation of
Vasomotor Symptoms revealing
that a combination of a strict plant-based diet combined with half a cup of
soybeans each day resulted in moderate-to-severe hot flushes being reduced from
nearly five per day to fewer than one per day. Overall hot flushes, including
mild ones, also decreased by 79%, emphasising the undeniable fact that a vegan,
soy-rich diet Is the way to go when it comes to controlling those dreaded hot
flushes and night sweats.
Maintaining
a Healthy Weight
Often during
menopause, women experience weight gain due to declining oestrogen levels, age-related
loss of muscle tissue and lifestyle factors such as diet. This internal body
fat, also known as visceral fat, whilst unproblematic for many, can encourage insulin
resistance and lead to health issues such as type 2 diabetes. Therefore, during
menopause, it’s important to opt for a balanced diet including wholefoods,
fruits and vegetables.
A recent study has uncovered that menopausal women who
followed a vegan diet with no other restrictions lost more weight at a higher
rate overall than those following a low-fat restricted diet, indicating that a
balanced vegan diet could help to support a healthier lifestyle for those concerned
with weight gain during menopause. When managed correctly, a vegan diet promotes weight loss, reduces the
risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol, lowers the chance of getting
certain cancers such as colon cancer and manages diabetes by lowering AC1
levels.
As with any
diet however, sensible choices must be made and important nutrients must be
incorporated. Protein-rich foods such as tofu, edamame, soy, chickpeas lentils
and nutritional yeast should always be included in a vegan diet, with vegan
protein powder also a popular choice for supplementing protein intake. It’s
also important to maintain vitamin B12 levels, which can be found in fortified
cereals and rice to promote muscle repair and energy. Essential fatty acids
from greens and whole grains, iron and vitamin D to boost cognitive function
and mood.
Quality of Sleep
Unfortunately,
sleep disorders plague 39-47% of perimenopausal women and 35-60% of
postmenopausal women, with the most common issues being hot flushes, insomnia
and sleep-disordered breathing according to Sleep Foundation. Not only has the power of plant-based
diets been proven to mitigate hot flushes to a large extent, but vegan diets
may also lead to increased levels of the amino acid
tryptophan which can
lead to increased melatonin and serotonin, thus enhancing sleep quality and
quantity. Tryptophan can be found in kale, bananas, mushrooms, peas and
almonds, all of which can be easily integrated into your vegan diet and can
support a great night’s sleep.
Alleviating
Anxiety
It seems that
a staggering number of women suffer mental health symptoms as a result of
menopause; a 2020 study conducted in Brazil uncovered that
58% of women aged 45–55 who were experiencing perimenopause had anxiety
symptoms. In the same study, 62% experienced symptoms of depression.
Interestingly,
the brain doesn’t use the amino acid tryptophan to support good sleep alone; it
also uses it to provide feelings of happiness and positive mental well-being
through serotonin production. In fact, those with a vegan diet reported less
stress and anxiety than omnivores in a
study investigating the
effects of both diets on mood.
To encourage
ideal levels of tryptophan and reduce anxiety during menopause, your vegan diet must include a combination of plant
proteins along with complex carbohydrates such as fruit, vegetables, whole
grains and legumes according to the Physician’s Committee for Responsible
Medicine.
Healthier
Hair and Skin
Due to
reduced oestrogen production, hair can start to thin and many women can also
experience drier skin. Luckily the magic of a plant-based diet also extends to
improved health for both the skin and hair.
Naturally,
when done correctly, a plant-based diet should increase your intake of whole
foods and reduce your intake of harmful processed foods that can negatively
impact health. However, when it comes to hair health, a study has shown that a
plant-based diet can help to reduce the risk of androgenetic alopecia, proving that going vegan can prevent hair loss to an
extent. In addition, a vegan diet is far more likely to promote a healthy scalp
and in turn create a healthy environment for hair follicles to flourish.
When it comes to maintaining skin health, a recent narrative review of 20 studies on plant-based foods shows that the
beneficial effects on skin include improvement in hydration, wrinkles, and elasticity.
Using soy extract and drinking soy beverages
(equivalent to 15 grams to 25 grams of soy protein per day) can also boost skin
hydration during menopause and beyond. It is therefore clear that capitalising on the
incredible benefits of these foods as part of a balanced vegan diet rich in
fruit and vegetables could help to counteract the effects of menopause such as
dry skin.
From improved
sleep hygiene to reduced hot flushes and anxiety, it is evident that the vegan
diet offers feasible natural alternatives to managing symptoms of menopause.
With experts now calling for a more holistic and individualised approach to
assessing menopause care, now may be the time that more light is shed on the indisputable
power of nutrition and a balanced, active lifestyle. Lucy Murray, Vegan
Lifestyle Expert at Free Soul, comments:
“There are a
whole host of benefits associated with a vegan diet and so many of them can
help to support women during the menopausal period. When done in the form of a
balanced mix of foods, a plant-based diet can provide the appropriate amounts
of protein, essential fatty acids and vitamins to support women going through
menopause, with supplements such as our vegan protein powder for women great for helping achieve
the right nutritional balance.”
New research shows that fatty foods may not only be adding to your waistline but also playing havoc with your brain.
An international study led by UniSA neuroscientists Professor Xin-Fu Zhou and Associate Professor Larisa Bobrovskaya has established a clear link between mice fed a high-fat diet for 30 weeks, resulting in diabetes, and a subsequent deterioration in their cognitive abilities, including developing anxiety, depression and worsening Alzheimer’s disease.
Mice with impaired cognitive function were also more likely to gain excessive weight due to poor metabolism caused by brain changes.
Researchers from Australia and China have published their findings in Metabolic Brain Disease.
UniSA neuroscientist and biochemist Associate Professor Larisa Bobrovskaya says the research adds to the growing body of evidence linking chronic obesity and diabetes with Alzheimer’s disease, predicted to reach 100 million cases by 2050.
“Obesity and diabetes impair the central nervous system, exacerbating psychiatric disorders and cognitive decline. We demonstrated this in our study with mice,” Assoc Prof Bobrovskaya says.
In the study, mice were randomly allocated to a standard diet or a high-fat diet for 30 weeks, starting at eight weeks of age. Food intake, body weight and glucose levels were monitored at different intervals, along with glucose and insulin tolerance tests and cognitive dysfunction.
The mice on the high-fat diet gained a lot of weight, developed insulin resistance and started behaving abnormally compared to those fed a standard diet.
Genetically modified Alzheimer’s disease mice showed a significant deterioration of cognition and pathological changes in the brain while fed the high fat diet.
“Obese individuals have about a 55 per cent increased risk of developing depression, and diabetes will double that risk,” Assoc Prof Bobrovskaya says.
“Our findings underline the importance of addressing the global obesity epidemic. A combination of obesity, age and diabetes is very likely to lead to a decline in cognitive abilities, Alzheimer’s disease and other mental health disorders.”
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