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.
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- 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.
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- 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.”