But even worse, for some women, the transition can also mean that higher risks for heart attack and stroke are just around the corner.

Now, researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have discovered just how menopause is linked to the number one killer of women.

The good news is that, by understanding the risks, women everywhere can have a better shot at a long, heart-healthy life.

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Your heart on menopause

Many people still think of cardiovascular disease as “a man’s disease.” But in truth, it’s the biggest killer of women, responsible for approximately 40 percent of all deaths.

Research has already shown that the risk of heart disease in women rises sharply after menopause.  Though it’s not been clearly understood why. However, we do know that negative changes in blood fats (or lipids) may play a role since they tend to occur during the perimenopause period.

Sadly, scientists had only looked into the most basic lipid tests in women (think LDL, known as bad cholesterol, HDL or good cholesterol and triglycerides), so we haven’t had all the facts.

Luckily, that’s changed thanks to a Texas research team that delved into advanced lipid problems in menopausal women, including what are known as lipid subfractions and particle numbers, which have been shown to be far better at predicting cardiovascular disease.

Advanced tests reveal threat to menopausal hearts

The researchers performed these top-tier blood tests on over 1,240 pre-, peri- and postmenopausal women and another 1,340 plus men for comparison. They then followed up for approximately seven years.

What they discovered was this:

• A big increase in “bad cholesterol.” All three female groups had an increase in LDL-P (the number of bad cholesterol particles) compared to men, but the greatest percent change was found to be between peri and post groups at 8.3 percent. LDL-P is a hidden risk for cardiovascular disease.
• A loss of “good cholesterol.” Compared to men, postmenopausal women had the greatest percent change of HDL-P (the number of good cholesterol particles) with a negative change of 4.8%. When HDL-P count is low, you are trending towards insulin resistance and a greater risk of heart attack and stroke.
• Negative changes for blood vessels. Small-dense LDL had a greater percentage change in the peri-menopausal group compared to men, with a change of 213%. This percent change is ~15% higher than both pre- and post-menopause groups.  Smaller LDL-P size can more easily enter the blood vessel wall and cause heart disease. Worse, small dense LDL can more easily get into the artery wall, leading to arteriosclerosis.

“We found that menopause is associated with adverse changes in lipoprotein profiles, with the most pronounced changes found to be in increases in ‘bad’ LDL-particles and subfractions observed for peri-menopausal women,” said study author Dr. Stephanie Moreno. “When looked at together, these changes could help explain the increase of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women and help determine if earlier interventions are warranted.”

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Be proactive about your heart risks

One out of three U.S. adults has some form of heart disease. Yet, approximately 50% of people who experience a heart attack have “normal” cholesterol results.

If you’ve made the transition to menopause, or soon will, ask your doctor about these advanced blood tests. It makes sense to use the most accurate and predictive testing for risk assessment — especially now that we know the transition to menopause can drive your lipid values into the danger zone.

It also makes sense to stay on top of the latest developments about women’s heart health. For example, scientists have found that beets can give back some of the heart protection that menopause steals…

In experiments with postmenopausal women who drank beetroot juice, researchers saw such improvements in blood flow, and determined if the level of improved blood-vessel function could be maintained over the postmenopausal years — it could significantly reduce the risk to women’s heart health.

Why beetroot juice?

When a woman’s estrogen production tanks, so does the level of nitric oxide (NO) normally produced by her body. Beets help ramp it back up. NO is a signaling molecule in the endothelial cells that line the walls of our arteries. NO functions as a powerful vasodilator and an essential regulator of the cardiovascular system.

It’s important to know, though, that concentrated beet powder generally has much less sugar per serving than whole beets or beet juice.

Sources:

Menopause potentially linked to adverse cardiovascular health through blood fat profile changes — EurekAlert!

Associations Between High-Density Lipoprotein Particles and Ischemic Events by Vascular Domain, Sex, and Ethnicity: A Pooled Cohort Analysis — Circulation

The post The menopause link to 40% of deaths in women appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But there is no question that our bodies are left different. Weight gain is easier. Wrinkles appear out of nowhere. Bones become brittle. Cholesterol shoots up.

Having said all that, it is a misconception that postmenopausal women have no influence over our outcomes or our overall sense of well-being.

The previous four blogs dealt with our main pharmacologic option, hormone replacement therapy (HRT). And there is plenty of evidence that HRT would likely be a net positive for many more women than are being offered this intervention today.  If you missed those blogs, you can find them here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.  

However, there is much more we can do than just demand to be placed on drugs! We can also help ourselves get through this period and set ourselves up for better health long term through the way we live.

Spoiler alert: If you’re a regular reader of our blogs, you will see a striking similarity to advice I have given many times before…

Turns out, eating right and exercising regularly has a positive impact, regardless of what we are trying to impact positively.

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Mediterranean Diet and Menopausal Symptomatology

The Mediterranean diet, characterized by high consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and olive oil, has been associated with reduced severity of menopausal symptoms.

A study involving more than 6,000 postmenopausal women over nine years found that higher adherence to the Mediterranean Diet correlated with a lower incidence of hot flashes and night sweats.

Phytoestrogens: Plant-Derived Estrogenic Compounds

Phytoestrogens, particularly isoflavones found in soy products, have been investigated for their potential to mitigate menopausal symptoms due to their structural similarity to estradiol.

Randomized studies have shown that phytoestrogen-based treatments may reduce the frequency of hot flashes and night sweats. However, efficacy varies among individuals, possibly due to differences in gut microbiome composition affecting isoflavone metabolism. 

By the way, the idea that phytoestrogens increase breast cancer risk has been summarily debunked. Even women who have gone through breast cancer treatment can enjoy soy products.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Mood Regulation

The decline in estrogen during menopause is associated with an increased risk of depression. Omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in Step One Foods, are known to have positive effects on mood, and higher dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids has been inversely associated with depression prevalence in postmenopausal women.

Micronutrients: Calcium and Vitamin D

Postmenopausal women are at increased risk for osteoporosis, and adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D becomes crucial for bone health. For women over 50, the recommended daily allowance includes 1,200 mg of calcium and 600–800 IU of vitamin D. Individual vitamin D requirements may be higher in order to keep vitamin D levels in the normal range. You can have your vitamin D level assessed through a simple blood test. 

Dietary sources of calcium include dairy products, leafy greens, and fortified foods, while sunlight exposure facilitates endogenous vitamin D synthesis. It is typically difficult to get adequate amounts of vitamin D through diet alone, although eating mushrooms can help.

Exercise: Bone Strength and Beyond

If there was any time in a woman’s life when staying physically active was critical, it’s after menopause. We can take all sorts of calcium supplements, but unless we engage in weight-bearing and resistance training, all that calcium will just go toward making kidney stones. And unless we expend more energy, the slowdown in metabolism most women experience during this time will yield progressive weight gain. The good news is that we don’t need to engage in extreme or exceedingly strenuous routines to see meaningful health gains.

For optimal metabolic health, spending the majority of our time in Zone 2 is ideal. This exercise level helps build aerobic capacity, increases mitochondrial efficiency, burns fat for energy, increases insulin sensitivity, and helps lower blood pressure. Interspersing short, high-intensity intervals is also a good idea to help build cardiovascular fitness.

And how do you know if you’re in Zone 2? To estimate your Zone 2 heart rate range, subtract your age from 220 (this estimates your maximum predicted heart rate), and then multiply that number by 0.6 to get the lower range (60%) of Zone 2, and by 0.7 to get the upper range (70%). You can also know that you’re in Zone 2 by using the talk test: your exercise intensity is low enough that you can carry on a conversation, but high enough that you’re somewhat breathless and can’t sing.

And what about resistance training? Do that at least a couple of times a week for 30 minutes at a time. You can get fancy and work with a trainer at a gym — or make a minor investment in resistance bands and follow a do-it-yourself program at home.

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We Have the Power!

Menopause is a time of tremendous change — physically and psychologically. But it’s definitely not a time to suffer in silence or simply accept our fates.

Helping ourselves through nutrition and physical activity (the EXACT SAME interventions as the ones that yield cholesterol improvements) will go a long way to maximizing overall health outcomes, especially after our estrogen is gone. And, for most women, HRT — whether systemic or local — can be considered a safe, effective and in many ways proactive step to ensuring a smoother transition to the second half of our lives. 

The WHI deprived too many women of quality of life for too long. 

It’s time to move on.

The post Menopause and the big lie: You’ve got choices appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Speaking for myself, I saw my blood pressure rise about 10 points once I hit menopause. I’m still within the normal range, but I know I need to be careful to keep it from going any higher.

Luckily, there’s an effortless action that can help offset this risk in menopausal and postmenopausal women — one that literally takes seconds to do…

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The simple power of standing up

Sitting for long periods of time, something that according to research, postmenopausal women often do, can compound the risks for heart trouble, as well as risks for type 2 diabetes, cancer and early death.

The Rise for Health Study evaluated methods for changing sitting behaviors and examined the physiological impacts on blood pressure and blood sugar levels in overweight or obese postmenopausal women.

Researchers focused on two specific behaviors over three months. One group was simply told to try to sit less during the day. The other was instructed to focus on standing from a sitting position more frequently. Both these groups were compared to a control group that received general health tips but were not asked to change their sitting habits.

When looking at blood sugar, the researchers found that sitting less or standing up more often showed no significant improvement in blood sugar.

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However, things were a bit different for blood pressure. The “sit less” group, which cut their sitting time by 75 minutes a day, showed some improvements in blood pressure, though it did not meet statistical significance.

Meanwhile, women in the “sit-to-stand” group, who increased the number of times they stood up by an average of 25 per day, lowered their diastolic blood pressure by 2.24 mmHg more than the control group. Though this change was not in the clinically meaningful range of 3-5 mmHg, it was a measurable enough decrease for researchers to say that within just three months, increasing sit-to-stand behavior can lower diastolic blood pressure.

In short, the findings suggest that frequently taking short standing breaks, even without increasing intense exercise, may help boost cardiovascular health.

“Public health messaging urges us to sit less but doesn’t tell us the best ways to do that,” says first author Dr. Sheri Hartman, a professor at UC San Diego. “Our findings suggest that while sitting less was helpful, interrupting sitting with brief standing breaks — even if you don’t sit less — can support healthy blood pressure and improve health.”

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How often should you be getting up?

According to the researchers, additional improvements may require more than three months to take effect, so they intend to evaluate both behaviors over a longer period in older men and women.

“What excites me most about this study is that women set their own goals and made a real difference in their sitting behaviors,” says co-author Dr. Andrea LaCroix, also a UC San Diego professor. “With a little coaching, we can teach ourselves to sit less, and it makes a tangible difference to our short-and long-term health.”

When discussing what goals would be doable for people looking to improve their heart health, LaCroix recommends standing two times per hour over 12 hours as a good starting point.

Given that my job involves a lot of sitting, I’m determined to adopt this behavior. But one problem I have is that I get so absorbed in the work I’m doing that I often lose track of time. The next thing I know, two or three hours have gone by without my moving from my seat.

The solution? Set a reminder. I usually have my phone right by me when I work, so I plan to set a recurring reminder twice an hour to get up from my computer.

If you prefer to have the reminder right on your computer, there are plenty of reminder apps (like Any.do or ClickUp) you can download for that purpose.

Sources:

Just rise: Study finds frequent standing may boost heart health after menopause — EurekAlert!

Impacts of Reducing Sitting Time or Increasing Sit-to-Stand Transitions on Blood Pressure and Glucose Regulation in Postmenopausal Women: Three-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial — Circulation

Arterial stiffness and hypertension — Clinical Hypertension

The post One simple action that lowers postmenopausal blood pressure appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) trial concluded that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was dangerous for women. But the bad news was not as bad as presented, and the good news was glossed over. That didn’t matter: Physicians were — and continue to be — spooked.

To seal the deal, warnings around breast cancer, blood clot, and heart disease risk got printed all over inserts and boxes containing any and all hormone-containing compounds — even if they were not the same formulations as what was evaluated in the trial and even if they were presented in a different dose/format (like vaginal estrogen cream).

Overnight, prescribing HRT was relegated to “fringe” providers. And medical schools effectively stopped teaching doctors about treating menopause.

Today, we live with that legacy: less than 6% of OB/GYN and primary care providers get even one hour (!) of menopause education in their training. The end result? A dearth of physicians who are comfortable managing the symptoms of women suffering through “the change.”

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What New Research Reveals About HRT

Meanwhile, science has marched on. Not that most women — or their physicians — are even aware.

Since the WHI was published, additional studies have found that timing of HRT initiation matters. Women who commence HRT within 10 years of menopause actually experience fewer cardiovascular events compared to those who are not placed on hormones.

Those who commence HRT more than 10 years after menopause do see a small increase in cardiovascular events in the first year of therapy, but then see an overall decrease in the second year onward.

The Role of Formulation and Delivery Method

And in terms of blood clotting, hormone formulation is key. Unlike the pill form, estrogen creams and patches do not raise clot risk. Nor does micronized progesterone (the natural form of progesterone), whether delivered by pill or pessary.

Remember, the WHI used a combination of synthetic progesterone and estrogen and dispensed the hormones in tablet form. This is a wildly different approach compared to the formulations available today.

For women who still want to — or need to — avoid systemic hormone delivery, vaginal estrogen cream has been shown to effectively relieve vaginal dryness and reduce risk of urinary tract infections without increased risk of any negative health outcomes. Though inexplicably, the black box warnings claiming otherwise are still there.

And we haven’t even touched on the potential benefits of testosterone supplementation in women!

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My Personal Menopause Journey

My personal menopause experience was less about hot flashes and night sweats (which I had my share of). It was all about sleep. For the life of me, I could not get more than 4 to 5 hours per night. Sometimes, I hardly slept at all. I was constantly exhausted, my cognitive function was becoming affected, and I was struggling emotionally.

And nothing I tried — meditation, melatonin, magnesium, even CBD — made any difference. But having been in the room when those WHI results were first announced, I never even once considered HRT as an option.

It was only after listening to a random podcast about new HRT data and looking into more recent studies that I asked my GYN physician to place me on hormone therapy. The improvement in sleep that I have experienced since then has been nothing short of miraculous.

Looking back, I now realize I suffered needlessly for 5 years. And I probably missed out on most of the osteoporosis protection. But I just didn’t know any better, even as a physician.

What Women Need to Know

This was my experience and my journey. I’m not suggesting that everything gets better with HRT, or that every woman should even take it, or that everyone will respond the same way I did.

What I really want you to know is that you have options — certainly many options when it comes to the various delivery forms of HRT. And that risks of HRT are relatively low (though obviously influenced by individual health variables unique to each of us). Women have been brainwashed to believe that we have no options. That we just need to buck up and suffer in silence.

That’s simply not true.

Next up, how to help manage menopause and its symptoms without drugs.

The post Menopause and the big lie: The lasting impact appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

I remember watching the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) investigators present their data at a major cardiology conference. The room was packed. You could have heard a pin drop when the study’s findings were finally revealed.

I also remember all of us rushing back to our practices and immediately de-prescribing HRT. After all, the relative risk of heart attack was 32% higher in HRT users! Breast cancer up 26%! Blood clots up 200%!!  

In one fell swoop, HRT was pronounced dead. Not just estrogen plus progesterone. All of it. Period. And any physician prescribing it could be risking a malpractice claim — or even being reported to their medical board. 

Meanwhile, the media was having a field day. This was the most provocative medical news to come out in a very long time. The story was everywhere!

What the WHI Data Left Out

But here’s the thing: what we didn’t realize at the time — what the investigators chose to de-emphasize — were the many shortcomings of this data.

First, the vast majority of women were over 60 years of age at time of enrollment — many were in their 70s. Meaning, they started HRT 10 to 20 years after their last period.

Second, the type of hormone cocktail used for the trial was more like what’s in a birth control pill and VERY different from contemporary HRT formulations.

And third, large numbers of participants dropped out over the course of the trial. 

In other words, we studied the wrong women, had them on the wrong treatment, and ended up with only partial data on what happened! 

Understanding Relative Risk vs. Absolute Risk

Then there’s the matter of focusing on relative risk of negative health outcomes — which can be deceiving in terms of real impact. For example, if 10 out of 10,000 people develop a liver function abnormality while taking a placebo but 15 out of 10,000 develop it while taking a drug, the relative risk of liver problems is 50% higher in drug users (5 more compared to 10 baseline). Even though the absolute risk of developing a liver issue in drug users is only 0.05% (5 extra out of 10,000), translating to 1 extra abnormal lab test for every 2000 people treated, actually quite low.

Breast Cancer Risk in Context

In the WHI, the absolute increase in the chance of developing breast cancer was 0.1% in estrogen plus progesterone users, which is one extra breast cancer case for every 1,000 women on HRT. That’s not zero, but it’s also far from a guarantee that HRT users will develop breast cancer during their lifetimes.

The other piece of data that received little attention was that there was no difference in the chance of dying from breast cancer regardless of whether a woman took HRT. 

Subsequent data also revealed NO increased breast cancer risk in women who took estrogen alone (which is appropriate only for those who no longer have a uterus).

Revisiting Cardiovascular and Blood Clot Risks

The WHI investigators also did not clearly point out that once other confounding factors were considered, differences in cardiovascular event rates largely disappeared. So HRT is not dangerous for the heart.

And although the risk of developing a blood clot was higher when taking hormone therapy — no argument there — this finding is irrelevant today because contemporary HRT is not associated with increased clotting risk.

Overlooked Benefits of HRT

And this is probably the greatest disservice created by the WHI:  There was almost no emphasis placed on the positive health outcomes found among participants using any form of HRT. These included very significant reductions in osteoporosis-related bone fractures and significantly lower colon cancer risk. 

Ignoring Quality of Life Metrics

There was also no discussion about what withholding HRT meant for the women in the placebo group, even though there were clear signals of reduced quality of life: 11% of the placebo group started HRT during the course of the study, and 38% dropped out of the trial. 

The post Menopause and the big lie: The facts they left out appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Unfortunately, that means when our estrogen levels start to decline, we lose that protection.

Women have a much steeper heart disease risk once menopause strikes and estrogen levels plummet.

However, research has shown that even in the early stages of perimenopause (the phase before menopause), permanent changes are already happening that impact a woman’s heart health.

Some women go the route of hormone replacement therapy. But it’s generally only considered safest during the first few years post-menopause. After that, it carries a higher risk for cancer and stroke.

But finally, there’s a safe and all-natural answer to keeping your heart healthy — without any of those risks…

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A beet a day could keep heart problems away

Estrogen is more than a female hormone. It affects factors that regulate vascular wall elasticity.

“After menopause, women no longer produce estrogen, which helps maintain nitric oxide in the body. This loss of nitric oxide production contributes to the substantial increase in heart disease risk for postmenopausal women,” says Dr. Jocelyn Delgado Spicuzza, who specializes in integrative and biomedical physiology.

But she and fellow researcher David Proctor, professor of kinesiology and physiology at Penn State, believe they have a solution that involves foods that are rich in nitrates — like beets — that could be put to use as natural, non-pharmaceutical ways to protect women’s hearts and blood vessels.

Dietary nitrates, found in a few special foods like beets, are converted in the body to nitric oxide (NO), a compound that helps blood vessels dilate so more oxygen-rich blood can flow through your body.

Decades ago, Nobel Prize-winning scientists discovered that NO, a signaling molecule, was found in the endothelial cells that lined artery walls — where its chief function was as a powerful vasodilator and an important regulator of the cardiovascular system.

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Spicuzza and Proctor led researchers who tested how nitrate-rich beetroot juice impacted blood vessel health in 24 postmenopausal women in their 50s and 60s. The women first had their vascular function tested and then consumed two 2.3-ounce bottles of beetroot juice as an initial dose, followed by one bottle every morning for a week. Each serving provided as much nitrate as three large beets. A few weeks later, the participants drank beetroot juice with the nitrate removed.

Neither the researchers nor the participants knew which juice was being consumed during the two testing phases. A day after their last dose, the women returned to have their vascular function tested. The researchers compared how well blood vessels expanded for each woman when they were and were not consuming the nitrate-rich beetroot juice.

An ultrasound sensor was used to monitor how blood flowed through the brachial artery — located in the upper arm — during a stress test. Blood flow was restricted in each participant’s forearm for five minutes. When the restriction was removed, researchers measured how blood flow changed in the brachial artery again. 

The results showed that drinking nitrate-rich beetroot juice each day improved blood flow compared to when the participants drank nitrate-free beetroot juice. The researchers said that this level of improved blood-vessel function — if it could be maintained over the postmenopausal years — could significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.

“Women may need to consume beetroot juice daily — or even more often — to experience all of the potential cardiovascular benefits,” Proctor said. “Still, this research shows that beetroot juice can be very useful in protecting blood vessel health of mid-life women during a period of accelerating heart disease risk.” 

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Never too late to see improvements

If you’re postmenopausal you might wonder if it’s too late for your heart to still benefit from increased nitric oxide production…

The study included women considered early postmenopausal, or one to six years post-menopause, and late postmenopausal, six or more years post-menopause. And the researchers confirmed that the late postmenopausal women saw the same benefits as the early postmenopausal group!

In addition, the research team was thrilled to see that blood vessel health even improved in women who’d gone through menopause years earlier.

“By providing a safe and effective way to improve blood vessel function, beets could help maintain cardiovascular health in postmenopausal women. When you consider that most women are postmenopausal for at least a third of their lives, you can begin to understand the potential significance of these results,” per Dr. Spicuzza.

But men should be just as excited…

She added, “Some clinicians are already recommending beetroot juice to men and women with high blood pressure.”

That means a beet a day or a glass of beetroot juice can do all of us a world of good.

Source:

Does a beet a day keep heart disease away? — Science Daily

The post The veggie that gives back the heart protection menopause steals appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It’s osteoporosis.

That’s right. Since age 40 or so, I’ve been losing bone mass. That means that a fall that breaks my hip could be more deadly than a cancer diagnosis.

The medical community takes this danger seriously. There are ongoing attempts to find ways to slow the loss of bone mineral in post-menopausal women and prevent the fractures that could endanger their lives.

Here’s a recent one that holds great promise.

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Blackcurrant berry prevents bone loss

At the University of Connecticut, a new study has found that supplementing a powdered form of the tart berry known as blackcurrant can reduce post-menopausal bone loss and prevent osteoporosis.

At the University of Connecticut, Professor Ock Chun, professor of nutritional sciences in UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, has been working with blackcurrant berry for years to see what health conditions it can improve or prevent.

Since her previous research with mice showed that the berry prevented bone loss, she wanted to find out whether this finding would translate to humans.

… but will it work in humans?

In this study, 40 peri- and post-menopausal women ages 45 to 60 took either one or two capsules of blackcurrant powder daily, or a placebo.

After six months, the researchers found that the supplements prevented the loss of bone mineral density throughout the body. More amazingly, those who took two capsules daily actually showed an overall increase in bone mineral density!

The researchers also saw that the supplements increased a bacteria found in the gut microbiome called Ruminococcus 2, inferring that it could be one of the drivers of the protective effects blackcurrant has on bone density.

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Blackcurrant: From bone loss to blood sugar

According to nutritional sciences graduate student Briana Nosal, who is the first author on the paper, “This study shows that blackcurrant may be a potential dietary strategy to help in preventing post-menopausal osteoporosis.”

But that’s not all blackcurrant can do…

Diabetes during menopause can compound the risk for weak bones. But blackcurrant can help here too by improving insulin sensitivity and decreasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

In one study, women given blackcurrant products found their post-meal blood sugar and insulin levels were reduced from their maximum level and experienced a delayed increase in free fatty acids triggered by low blood sugar and delayed fall of glucose. In other words, no blood sugar spikes!

Additional ways to reduce your risks for osteoporosis include:

• Don’t smoke. Hormonal changes caused by smoking could alter the function and strength of bone cells.
• Get your vitamin D and calcium. A diet low in these nutrients increases the chances of developing accelerated bone loss later in life. Consume adequate calcium through dairy products, leafy greens and fortified foods. Vitamin D is a little harder to get naturally from foods that are not fortified. Supplementing may help.
• Exercise! Weight-bearing exercise and strength training are both important for healthy bones.
• Eat less sugar. Read here how it destroys your bones.

Sources:

Study Suggests Blackcurrant Supplementing Mitigates Postmenopausal Bone Loss — University of Connecticut

Blackcurrants shape gut microbiota profile and reduce risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis via the gut-bone axis: Evidence from a pilot randomized controlled trial — The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry

The post The ‘bone density’ berry that beats back bone loss appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Some believe genetic makeup is a factor, but the truth is, in less than one percent of people, Alzheimer’s is caused by specific genetic changes that almost guarantee they will develop the disease.

For the rest of us, the answer seems to lie in a combination of genetics, other health conditions and lifestyle and environmental risk factors that impact the brain over time — including sleep patterns, lack of exercise, diet, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, alcohol and air pollution, to name a few.

But there is one lifestyle-related element that scientists are just beginning to focus on: stress.

A previous study found that having chronic stress or depression more than doubled the risk of Alzheimer’s. And in those who had both chronic stress and depression, the Alzheimer’s risk was four times as high!

This is only one study. But there is more research that indicates the stress connection should be taken seriously — especially for women…

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The role of cortisol in Alzheimer’s

A team of researchers led by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) notes that so-called “sporadic” Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of cognitive decline in older adults. During this prolonged asymptomatic phase, amyloid beta accumulates into amyloid plaques, ultimately leading to progressive cognitive decline.

Unfortunately, these biological changes are already well-established by the time symptoms appear, which is why effective early interventions are needed.

Some investigators have zeroed in on cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone.” Cortisol is necessary for maintaining cellular balance and triggering the stress response, also known as the fight-or-flight response.

But when the release of cortisol in the body becomes chronically elevated, it can cause all kinds of problems.

Some studies have already indicated that higher blood cortisol levels are linked to an increased likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s.

Stress, Alzheimer’s and post-menopausal women

To shed further light on these findings, researchers from the University of Texas Health San Antonio led a comparison of cortisol levels in 305 cognitively unimpaired, middle-aged participants from the Framingham Heart Study. A little under half of the participants were women.

Approximately 15 years later, they assessed the burden of amyloid beta and tau protein using PET scans. This allowed them to investigate cortisol’s impact at an earlier stage in Alzheimer’s development, when interventions might be most effective.

The findings were sobering. The researchers discovered high levels of cortisol in midlife were linked to increased deposits of amyloid in post-menopausal women. No significant associations were observed in men.

The researchers theorized that post-menopausal hormone changes may amplify cortisol’s effects on amyloid buildup. Both estrogen and testosterone have neuroprotective effects that might mitigate cortisol’s negative impact on neural tissues, but levels of both hormones drop dramatically in menopause. This indicates that both stress reduction and hormonal interventions may help prevent Alzheimer’s in at-risk women.

Dr. Arash Salardini, a professor at UT Health San Antonio and first author of the study, adds that follow-up of the study cohort is necessary to determine whether these early amyloid changes translate into clinical symptoms, as well as to clarify the causal role of cortisol in Alzheimer’s development.

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Women and their higher burden of Alzheimer’s

None of this is really surprising. More than two-thirds of people living with Alzheimer’s are women, and hormones have been indicated previously.

But understanding the involvement of yet another hormone, cortisol, gives us one more target to focus on to reduce the odds.

If you’re a woman and you find yourself constantly stressed out, talk to your doctor about testing your cortisol levels. Certain medical conditions, including Cushing’s syndrome, adrenal fatigue, adrenal tumors and pituitary tumors, can cause chronically elevated cortisol levels.

Depression and anxiety have been linked to elevated cortisol levels due to the disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which regulates cortisol production. 

 If outside stressors are the problem, lifestyle interventions, like these, may help:

• Yoga. With its emphasis on slow, deliberate movement and breathing, yoga not only helps mellow you out but has also been shown to help build up the brain’s left prefrontal cortex, an area responsible for critical mental functions such as learning and memory.
• Meditation. Research has shown that practicing meditation regularly can increase brain density, boost connections between neurons, decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety, provide clarity of thought and increase positive mood endorphins.
• Emotional regulation. By purposely changing your focus and heading off negative emotions and stress before they arise, you can reduce ruminating — which is linked to cognitive decline and brain aging.
• L-theanine. A 250 to 400 mg dose of this amino acid daily can help lower your cortisol levels and sharpen your focus and attention.

Sources:

Stress can lead to Alzheimer’s disease in women who are post-menopausal, UT Health San Antonio study finds — EurekAlert!

Elevated serum cortisol associated with early-detected increase of brain amyloid deposition in Alzheimer’s disease imaging biomarkers among menopausal women: The Framingham Heart Study — Alzheimer’s & Dementia

Alzheimer’s disease — Mayo Clinic

The post How stress becomes a post-menopausal Alzheimer’s trigger appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

In fact, when you consider what women have to go through, from fatigue and bloating to mood changes, night sweats and more, it’s a wonder we get through it at all.

One minute, you’re rolling through your day just fine, and the next, you’re a hot, sweaty puddle!

It’s no wonder, then, that we’re willing to pop a prescription pill just to survive.

But if survival is the goal, one particular menopause medication might be the wrong choice.

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Non-hormonal medication linked to liver injury

Veozah (fezolinetant) is a non-hormonal treatment for hot flashes. Unlike hormone replacement therapy (HRT), it does not include estrogen or progesterone and was designed as an option for women with a history of breast cancer.

First approved in 2023, close to 29,000 patients have now picked up prescriptions of the drug in the United States alone.

But the FDA is now warning about the rare occurrence of serious liver injury with use of Veozah.

In September 2024, the FDA issued its first warning that liver problems from the medications were possible. Now, though, they have added a boxed warning to the drug since a woman was found to have blood markers of liver injury after taking the drug for just 40 days.

The good news is that after she stopped taking the medication, her symptoms gradually improved, and her liver levels got back to normal.

The FDA now says that if you’re taking Veozah for hot flashes, you should take blood tests for liver markers every month for the first three months after starting the medication and repeat the test at months six and nine.

If you experience symptoms such as unusual itching, nausea, vomiting, or are more tired than usual, stop taking the medication and talk to your doctor. Other symptoms to watch out for include light-colored stools, dark urine, yellow skin or eyes, swelling of your abdomen, or pain in your upper right side, all of which are signs of liver injury.

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Other options for the dreaded hot flashes

For women who don’t feel safe with HRT, the news about Veozah is disappointing. But if you discuss the liver health risk with your doctor and keep up with the suggested liver screenings, it may be a risk you’re willing to take.

But in the long run, it may not be what it is hyped up to be. In the drug trial, some participants experienced headaches and fatigue. And the drug only reduced the frequency and severity of hot flashes.

So, what are your options if you’re not keen on HRT or Veozah?

• Acupuncture can relieve many of the most common (and most annoying) menopause symptoms. In a small group of 70 menopausal women, 80% said that acupuncture relieved their menopause symptoms.
• If needles aren’t your thing, supplement formulations that help relieve hot flashes and night sweats have gotten more sophisticated. Look for those that have been clinically tested. They will cost more, but should be able to give you an idea of how much relief to expect.
• Incorporate soy-based foods like tofu and edamame, as well as flaxseeds, which contain phytoestrogens that may help balance hormone levels. 

One important note: Menopause is more than “the change,” signaling a woman’s transformation from her reproductive years. Women also undergo a “cardiovascular change.” Unfortunately, hot flashes and night sweats are associated with worse heart disease risk levels.

In addition to staying on top of your heart health with yearly checkups, a healthy diet and exercise, Dr. Jocelyn Delgado Spicuzza, who specializes in integrative and biomedical physiology, suggests that “Women may need to consume beetroot juice daily — or even more often — to experience all of the potential cardiovascular benefits.”

Her research shows that beetroot juice can be very useful in protecting blood vessel health of mid-life women during this period of accelerating heart disease risk.

Drinking nitrate-rich beetroot juice each day improved blood flow in a group of menopausal and postmenopausal women. Dr. Spicuzza surmised that this level of improved blood-vessel function — if maintained over the postmenopausal years — could significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.

Decades ago, Nobel Prize-winning scientists discovered that nitric oxide (NO), a signaling molecule found in the endothelial cells of artery walls, was a potent vasodilator and an essential regulator of the cardiovascular system. After menopause, women no longer produce estrogen, which helps maintain nitric oxide in the body. Thankfully, beetroot juice helps the body produce NO, with or without estrogen.

Sources:

FDA adds warning about rare occurrence of serious liver injury with use of Veozah (fezolinetant) for hot flashes due to menopause — U.S. Food & Drug Administration

FDA places its most serious warning on menopause drug due to risk of liver injury — CNN

The post Don’t trade hot flashes for liver damage appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the fatigue. I used to be someone who could charge through the day with seemingly limitless energy.

Now, I need a lunchtime nap to feel fully functional, and I often fall asleep on the couch right after dinner.

I asked my doctor why I was feeling so tired all the time, and they gave me the usual hand-waving answer of “you’re just getting older.”

But after doing some digging, I discovered that women in midlife are two to four times more likely to experience debilitating forms of fatigue… and one reason for that fatigue often gets overlooked.

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Menstrual bleeding and your energy level

There are multiple menopause symptoms that can make women feel fatigued, including hot flashes, sleep problems, pain and depression. But one team of researchers decided to explore whether abnormal uterine bleeding might be another factor.

In The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), researchers assessed daily menstrual calendar data from more than 2,300 midlife women to determine whether episodes of prolonged (PMB) or heavy (HMB) menstrual bleeding recorded during the 6 months before a follow-up visit were associated with four specific symptoms of fatigue including feeling worn out, feeling tired, not feeling full of pep, or not having energy.

SWAN revealed that one in three women transitioning through menopause had episodes of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB), which includes HMB and PMB.

Despite this high incidence, only a few previous studies have focused on the problem, and no known studies have attempted to link AUB to fatigue or decreased quality of life. Heavy menstrual bleeding, particularly, is connected to iron deficiency anemia, which causes fatigue.

The study results concluded that HMB and PMB during the menopause transition were associated with an increased risk of fatigue, even after adjusting for other causes. These findings suggest that greater clinical awareness is needed of menopausal bleeding changes, particularly when fatigue is also reported.

Iron deficiency and related anemia can be easily treated, so early assessment in women with these symptoms could help a lot.

“This study highlights the need for greater clinical awareness of abnormal uterine bleeding, particularly given the increased frequency during the menopause transition and its association with low energy or fatigue symptoms,” says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society.

“Educating women about the possibility of prolonged or heavy menstrual bleeding during the menopause transition and the potential health consequences is also needed.”

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What to do if you are iron deficient

If you’re going into menopause and notice your menstrual bleeding has gotten much heavier, speak with your doctor. Shopping for a gynecologist who specializes in menopause treatments may be helpful. Treatments, including hormone therapies, may be available that can help.

It’s also imperative for your doctor to determine if an iron deficiency or anemia is present. But beware: they will probably prescribe an iron supplement, and that supplement will likely be ferrous sulfate. This type of iron can irritate your stomach, liver and lymphatic symptoms, and it’s not as well absorbed as other forms of iron.

The most easily absorbed and least irritating iron supplements are ferrous gluconate, iron gluconate and iron picolinate. The usual daily recommended dose of iron for women over 50 is 8 mg per day. Still, if you’re experiencing heavy menstrual bleeding, you should probably stick with the dose of 18 mg per day recommended for women under 50.

Alternatively, you could also take a daily tablespoon or two of blackstrap molasses, giving you up to 20 percent of your recommended daily dosage of iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium.

There are also plenty of food sources of iron you can add to your diet, including:

• Red meat
• Chicken
• Fish
• Eggs
• Barley
• Oats
• Brown rice
• Beans
• Lentils
• Nuts like almonds, pistachios and pecans
• Dark leafy greens like spinach, Swiss chard and kale

Sources:

Are you just tired or are you menopause tired? — EurekAlert!

Abnormal uterine bleeding is associated with fatigue during the menopause transition — Menopause

The post The overlooked menopause symptom stealing your energy appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

However, the truth is that heart disease kills more women each year than breast cancer by far.

In fact, according to the American Heart Association, one in 39 women in the U.S. will die from breast cancer each year, while 1 in 3 dies from cardiovascular disease.

That works out to roughly one death every minute, with menopause playing a significant role in women’s cardiovascular risks.

This makes menopause a dangerous time in life for a woman due to changes in her heart health. And according to studies presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific meeting recently, there are five particular dangers women should be aware of…

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#1 – Irregular heartbeat

Research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA), found that 1 in 4 women are likely to develop irregular heart rhythms post-menopause. Known as atrial fibrillation, if not treated, it’s the most common cardiac cause of stroke. Fortunately, it’s possible to reduce the risk of AFib by 60 percent with regular exercise.

#2 – Elevated risk of heart failure

Scientists also found that women who went through menopause late – at age 55 or older – and who lived with obesity were at a significantly higher risk of heart failure.

#3 – Higher chance of heart disease

On the other end of the spectrum, research presented at the Association’s 2022 Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Conference (EPI), showed that women who naturally experienced early menopause (by the age of 40) had a 40% higher chance of coronary heart disease over their lifetime, compared to women who did not go through early menopause.

Coronary heart disease (also known as coronary artery disease) occurs when blockages or damage to the vessels prevent the arteries from delivering enough oxygen-rich blood to the heart. This can lead to a heart attack.

#4 – Dementia dangers

Results of another 2021 study found that women who experience very early menopause were 35% more likely to develop some type of dementia later in life, compared with women who enter menopause around age 50.

#5 – Effects of loneliness on the heart

Additional research in 2021 showed that menopausal heart danger can be compounded by social isolation. The study showed that women who experience loneliness post-menopause were at a 29% risk of cardiovascular disease.

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Support your heart health starting now

As the researchers noted, “More women in the U.S. are living longer, and a significant portion of them will spend up to 40% of their lives postmenopausal, so it’s important to monitor a woman’s health and lifestyle and develop intervention strategies to protect heart health.”

So what can you do to promote better heart health before, leading up to and during your menopause years?

Exercise, follow a Mediterranean-style diet and consider adding the veggie that gives back the heart protection menopause steals to your daily diet…

When women stop producing estrogen, they’re losing more than a sex hormone. Estrogen helps maintain nitric oxide (NO) levels in the body. NO is a signaling molecule found in the endothelial cells that line artery walls — where its chief function is to act as a powerful vasodilator and an important regulator of the cardiovascular system.

In one study, researchers at Penn State determined that beetroot juice, a naturally occurring dietary source of NO, improved blood-vessel function in menopausal and postmenopausal women so much that if it could be maintained over the postmenopausal years, the risk of heart disease could be significantly reduced.

NO may also help with the weight gain linked to heart failure. In a study using mice, researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, found that mice on NO therapy gained 17 percent less body weight than the control mice.

That same study saw the mice on NO therapy had improved cerebral blood flow and improved spatial learning abilities. That’s a win since better brain blood flow is associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment.

As a doctor, I think adding beets to our healthcare arsenal is one of the simplest things women can do for the threats we face when menopause comes knocking.

Beets can be enjoyed in salads, pickled, juiced with other veggies and added to smoothies.

Sources:

Hot news flash: Menopause can impact a woman’s heart health — EurekAlert!

3 amazing benefits of summer’s best heart-healthy vegetable — Easy Health Options

The post 5 serious health threats tied to menopause appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Take HDL cholesterol — the “good” stuff.

While it’s true that optimal HDL levels are important for good cardiovascular health, research has also linked very high HDL to a 42 percent increased risk for dementia in adults over 75.

But research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism has dug deeper — finding that it’s HDL quality, not quantity that matters…

And that when it’s off, it could contribute to the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease in women.

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Quality over quantity for brain health

According to a research team from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, menopausal women need to consider not just the quantity, but the quality of the total cholesterol carried by HDL particles circulating in their bloodstream.

The team measured the size, composition, and level of functioning of HDL particles in the bloodstreams of 503 women who had taken part in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN).

Their findings showed that, over time, the number of larger HDL particles in the women’s bodies increased, and that these larger particles did not function as well as smaller HDL particles.

Then, from 2000 to 2016, the researchers repeatedly assessed the women’s cognitive function and compared their data to changes in the women’s HDL particles as they aged.

“We were able to show that as early as midlife, women who have more of the smaller-sized particles and those whose particles’ concentrations of phospholipids increased over the menopause transition are more likely to experience better episodic memory later in life,” says Dr. Samar El Khoudary, who added that loss of working memory is the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Improve HDL quality to lower memory loss risk

The idea that lipids (fats) play a crucial role in preventing Alzheimer’s isn’t a new one.

Fortunately, in an earlier study, Dr. El Khoudary’s team showed that health behaviors like those included in the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8^TM can improve the quality of HDL particles by adding more phospholipid-rich particles to the bloodstream.

The eight factors in Life’s Essential 8 include advice to:

• Eat better
• Be more active
• Quit tobacco
• Get healthy sleep
• Manage weight
• Control cholesterol
• Manage blood sugar
• Manage blood pressure

That top one can stump some people, but just follow The M.I.N.D. diet — specifically designed for protecting your brain while considering factors like blood pressure.

To follow the diet, here’s what you need to eat and drink each day:

• At least three servings of whole grains
• A green leafy vegetable and one other vegetable
• A glass of wine (optional)
• A snack of nuts

You should also have beans every other day or so, eat poultry and berries at least twice a week and have fish at least once a week.

Other factors that will help get those lipid levels in order are being physically active, getting enough sleep, and maintaining a healthy body weight.

Fortunately, heart research has caught up to the importance of small particle HDL for heart health too.

So get started optimizing your cholesterol for better heart and brain health.

Sources:

HDL quality, not quantity, contribute to the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease in women — Eureka Alert

High-density Lipoprotein Over Midlife and Future Cognition in Women: The SWAN HDL Ancillary Study — The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism

Swan – Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation — swanstudy.org

The post The bad side of good cholesterol linked to Alzheimer’s in women appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That’s because Alzheimer’s is almost twice as common in women, which makes identifying female-specific risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease vital. Especially since experts estimate 40 percent of cases can be prevented or, at the least, delayed.

These facts have led researchers to focus on menopause’s impact on cognitive aging, ultimately discovering that dementia and declining estrogen do go hand-in-hand.

But, are all women equally at risk? Or does the severity of your symptoms offer a clue as to whether or not your brain is in danger?

Research published in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society, has the answer…

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When your body suffers, your brain suffers

Recent research followed nearly 1,300 late-postmenopausal women measuring their cognitive abilities during mid-life and comparing the level of menopausal symptoms they suffered from.

The women rated their symptoms which ranged from hot flashes, bladder issues and sleep disturbances to muscular and joint discomfort, depression, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, sexual problems and more.

The results clearly showed that severe menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep and mood disturbances can be linked with cognitive problems.

In fact, the researchers say that severe symptoms are associated with a significant 74 percent increase in the risk of mild cognitive impairment — a transitional state between normal aging and dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease.

“The heightened severity of menopausal symptoms observed among post-menopausal women with mild cognitive impairment aligns with existing literature linking hormonal levels during menopause to cognitive changes,” wrote the lead author, Andrés Calle, MD, the research director at Central University of Ecuador in Quito.

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Positive changes for better brain health

The good news is that researchers say doing more to keep your heart at its best, since vascular health has everything to do with brain health, can help.

Factors the scientists noted that kept cognitive impairment at bay included lower body mass index, sexual activity and physical activity.

These lifestyle factors support the most important factor for both heart and brain health: blood flow.

Research into mild cognitive decline has seen that the small vessels in the brains of older adults do not receive adequate blood supply. Not only is the blood flow greatly reduced, but so is functional connectivity — the beginning of a decline in the inner workings of the brain.

This is especially significant for women because estrogen is more than a female hormone. It assists the body in producing nitric oxide (NO), a signaling molecule that regulates vascular wall elasticity — factors that impact vascular health and blood flow.

These are two good reasons why I’ll recommend vitamin D. Not only does it play an important role in estrogen creation, a growing number of studies link vitamin D deficiency to dementia.

The third reason I’ll recommend vitamin D is that women with insufficient levels of vitamin D and estrogen are more likely to have metabolic syndrome — yet another risk factor for dementia.

The final reason I’ll recommend the sunshine vitamin is this: low vitamin D levels have been associated with hot flashes. Specifically, researchers saw each one-unit decrease of vitamin 25(OH)D (1 – 0.941 = 0.059) increased the risk of hot flashes by 5.9 percent in postmenopausal women.

When supplementing vitamin D, it’s important to remember it’s not a one-size-fits-all vitamin. Current therapeutic dosages recommend 5,000 IU daily.

If you suffer from severe menopausal symptoms, start taking steps now to reduce the harm they can do to your brain.

Sources:

Severe menopause symptoms may take toll on brain health – EurekAlert!

Severe menopausal symptoms linked to cognitive impairment: an exploratory study – Menopause

Why are women more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease? – Harvard Health Publishing

More proof a vitamin D deficiency spells dementia – Easy Health Options

The post Symptoms that can increase women’s dementia risk 74% appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Spending time in a sauna does more than help you relax, soothe sore muscles and improve circulation. The practice has been associated with all kinds of health benefits. In fact, regularly spending time in the sauna can slash your risk of specific health conditions including:

• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Dementia
• Respiratory disease
• Stroke

And recent research has uncovered another reason to add sauna time to our list of daily health habits — especially for post-menopausal women…

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Sauna to burn fat, increase insulin sensitivity

The study involved removing the ovaries of older female mice to model post-menopausal conditions. The mice were also fed a Western diet (which mirrors what most Americans eat) that contained 45 percent calories from fat.

The mice were then divided into two groups: one that received 30 minutes of daily heat therapy in a chamber set to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for 12 weeks and one that received no heat treatment.

The mice receiving the heat treatment had significantly reduced lactate dehydrogenase levels, which indicates less aging-related tissue damage — that’s a win, but there’s more…

What was really surprising was that the heat therapy also effectively countered the weight gain induced by the high-fat diet the mice were fed.

The mice also showed improvements in insulin sensitivity and insulin signaling, as well as reduced adipose fat accumulation in areas such as the liver and in brown fat.

While adipose fat stores energy and hangs around on the body, brown fat is metabolically active and helps the body burn more energy. Previous studies have shown that people tend to lose brown fat as they age and women do as well when entering menopause. That contributes to a slower metabolism.

In short, the study appears to demonstrate that spending time in a sauna each day might help older adults, especially women, fight age-related obesity and insulin resistance. This could help ward off metabolic disease, which often leads to type 2 diabetes.

“Compared to men, women have a higher likelihood of being obese or overweight,” says research team leader Dr. Soonkyu Chung, PhD, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “This is especially true after menopause, due to the loss of estrogen in the body.”

“Heat therapy could be a practical option for those with increased abdominal fat and a higher risk of metabolic diseases triggered by menopausal hormonal changes,” adds Rong Fan, a doctoral candidate advised by Chung. “It could be easily integrated into routine healthcare practices through regular sessions in saunas, heated baths or with specialized heat wraps.”

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Triggering the body to beat menopause weight gain

The researchers dug deep into the mechanisms involved and found that heat triggers several molecular processes that help the body use energy more efficiently and burn fat. They identified a key player, TRPV1, that when activated by heat triggers a process known as futile calcium cycling where the body uses energy to pump calcium ions across cell membranes. This process helps raise the amount of energy burned by the body.

Those actions also stimulate the body to break down and burn fats, reducing fat accumulation in tissues like the liver. In addition, it helps improve the body’s insulin sensitivity, which is critical for overall metabolic health.

The researchers caution that more research is needed to determine how long and intense the heat exposure needs to be in people to trigger the health benefits. They also need to confirm its safety and effectiveness across diverse populations.

For now, if you’re a woman in post-menopause and you want to kick your fat-burning metabolism into gear, give a daily sauna a try. If you don’t have a sauna at home, you can probably find one at a nearby spa, gym, health club or even the YMCA.

One caveat: make sure you sauna safely. Don’t use a sauna if you have unstable angina, chest pain or recently had a heart attack. And older people with low blood pressure should be cautious as well, since using a sauna can be risky for them. It’s always a good idea to speak with your doctor before engaging in a regular sauna practice.

Source:

Daily sauna time might help prevent menopause-related weight gain — EurekAlert!

The post The spa secret that prevents menopause-related weight gain appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

What’s normal about everything changing — from your mood and ability to sleep to your sex drive, not to mention the hot flashes, night sweats and weight gain?

There are a few ways a woman can choose to handle the effects of diminishing hormones through the transition, including medication or supplements that may ease symptoms.

But we can’t change the fact that it’s an inevitable part of life — or exactly when we’ll experience it. The menopausal transition most often begins between the ages of 45 and 55.

But a growing threat to our ovaries — the source of those precious hormones — may be aging them faster and setting us up not only for a difficult transition but health problems down the road…

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Speeding up the ovaries’ biological clock

Researchers from the University of Michigan studied 549 middle-aged women whose urine samples contained heavy metals — including arsenic, cadmium, mercury or lead.

Those particular heavy metals are extremely common and found in drinking water, air pollution and food. They’re considered endocrine-disrupting chemicals — and that spells big trouble for hormones…

Previous studies have linked heavy metals with women’s reproductive aging and diminished ovarian reserve — a condition where a woman’s egg stores diminish more rapidly than normal. Researchers say it’s also linked to more pronounced vasomotor symptoms, weak bones — and a higher risk of heart disease.

So the U of M team decided to compare the women’s heavy metals levels to their Anti-Müllerian hormone levels, or AMH.

AMH levels correspond to a woman’s egg count. That makes an AMH test the equivalent of the proverbial, and literal, biological clock all women are familiar with.

The results showed that women with higher levels of heavy metal in their urine were significantly more likely to have lower AMH levels — indicating diminished ovarian reserve — up to 10 years before their final menstrual period.

The researchers concluded that, “Metals, including arsenic and cadmium, possess endocrine disrupting characteristics and may be potentially toxic to the ovaries.”

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Reducing the threat of heavy metals

If you’ve entered menopause, doing something about your potential exposure to heavy metals won’t turn your biological clock back.

But you should consider how heavy metals can increase your risk for heart trouble during a time when that threat is already elevated — even more so if you entered menopause at an earlier age.

In 2021, the American Heart Association released what they call a “scientific statement” stressing the importance of integrating early intervention strategies for good cardiovascular health — especially during midlife and during menopause.

Those strategies include diet and exercise and living a healthy lifestyle. And should include reducing the threat of heavy metal exposure, in my opinion. Because, women’s ovaries aside, some heavy metals have already been deemed worse on your heart than smoking or cholesterol.

That’s why I believe everyone should know about a proven treatment to quickly eliminate heavy metals from the bloodstream…

Chelation is the process of using what’s known as a chelating agent to chemically bind onto heavy metals in the bloodstream so that they can be excreted as waste, through urine.  

The use of EDTA (ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid) as a lead chelating agent was first introduced to treat lead poisoning in employees of battery factories and then in sailors exposed to lead paint on ships during WWII. But EDTA can also bind to mercury, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum and nickel.

And while other compounds can be used as natural heavy metal chelators, the most well-known is EDTA.

In cases of acute heavy metal poisoning, EDTA chelation can be done through IV, but it’s also available in supplement form. You can read more about its other benefits here. And I’ve included a link to a book on Chelation, below.

But don’t forget to reduce exposure from the daily sources you can find listed here.

Sources:

Women exposed to toxic metals may experience earlier aging of their ovaries – EurekAlert!

The post Women’s Health Alert: Rapid ovary aging, menopause and heart disease appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But when the cells in our intestine are slow to repair or don’t fix themselves completely, the result is an “open door” through which harmful microbes and toxins enter the bloodstream, causing a range of metabolic diseases and conditions from diabetes and thyroid disorders to irritable bowel and chronic fatigue syndromes.

This “open door” is better known as leaky gut syndrome.

If you’re a post-menopausal woman, you’re even more vulnerable to leaky gut than men your age. Why?

It comes down to hormones and why, when we lose them, we not only gain weight but also gain a higher risk for metabolic diseases…

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Menopause changes women’s gut microbiome

The gut microbiome refers to all the microbes in your intestines, which act as another “organ” crucial for your health.

A new study has shown that the gut microbiome interacts with the loss of female sex hormones that occurs after menopause. This hormone loss exacerbates metabolic diseases, including weight gain and type 2 diabetes, fat in the liver and the expression of genes linked with inflammation.

As early as 2005, researchers began looking into how the microbiome could contribute to obesity, which is associated with metabolic conditions. At the time, however, most research was done on males.

Using models of mice with and without ovaries, first author Tzu-Wen L. Cross, a professor of nutrition science and the director of the Gnotobiotic Animal Facility at Purdue University, shared that “This is the first time it has been shown that the response of microbiome to the loss of ovarian hormone production can increase metabolic dysfunction.”

“The mice that were recipients of the gut microbiome of ovariectomized mice gained more weight and fat mass, and they had greater expression of genes in the liver associated with inflammation, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis compared with those in the control group,” says Dr. Kelly Swanson, corresponding author of the study.

They also found that the mice without ovaries and those fed the high-fat diet had lower levels of these proteins in the liver and colon. This suggested their gut barriers were more permeable, compromised by either their diet or the absence of female hormones.

In other words, the gut microbiome of mice without ovaries, which hormonally resembles that of post-menopausal women, was much more vulnerable to the metabolic diseases impacted by leaky gut.

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How to protect your gut

Unfortunately, there’s not much we can change about losing our female hormones.

But a previous study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition in 2021 saw a polyphenol-rich diet improve intestinal permeability in older people — which may be the first step in the right direction.

Polyphenols are natural antioxidants found in a variety of foods. In the gut, they increase helpful bacteria, reduce harmful bacteria, and prevent the inflammation behind heart disease and other chronic metabolic conditions.

The study showed that including up to three daily portions of apple, cocoa, dark chocolate, green tea, cranberries, oranges or pomegranate juice — all polyphenol-rich foods — improved intestinal permeability by making specific changes in the microbiota.

When fecal and plasma samples were analyzed, there was a positive correlation between the polyphenol foods and an increase in cell metabolism products that improved gut health. There was also a decrease in the kind that caused intestinal permeability.

The next step would be to steer clear of a high-fat diet since it also correlated with intestinal permeability in the recent mouse study.

Sources:

Metabolic diseases may be driven by gut microbiome, loss of ovarian hormones — Science Daily

Gut microbiome responds to alteration in female sex hormone status and exacerbates metabolic dysfunction — Gut Microbes

The post The ‘other change’ behind menopausal weight gain and disease risk appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That’s because not only do heart attacks in women often go unnoticed until it’s too late, but they can be doubly deadly.

Of course, men and women share some similar cardiovascular risks, including unhealthy lifestyle practices, diet and obesity.

But there are two factors unique to women that may give us extra pause when considering our risks — and it may not seem that there’s much we can effectively do about either.

Does that mean we’re doomed?

No, not in the least.

The results of a pair of studies have shed new light on the heart health risks associated with menopause and migraines…

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The menopause-migraine link: Compounded risks

A few years ago, the American Heart Association put forth a statement titled “Menopause Transition and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Implications for Timing for Early Prevention.”

It addressed the fact that the menopause transition also mirrors a time of change in women’s cardiovascular health and named specific symptoms we likely feel powerless about that increase the danger level, including entering menopause at an earlier age or the severity of hot flashes or night sweats.

Women who suffer from migraines have also carried some concerns about their risk for cardiovascular events and stroke.

So researchers at Michigan Medicine decided to dig into both menopause symptoms and migraine to define the risk levels of these conditions better…

Their research included a pair of studies that followed more than 1,900 women from the time they were in their late teens to early 30s until their 50s and 60s, gathering health data from yearly exams, blood tests, questionnaires and more.

Just over 30% of the middle-aged women experienced persistent hot flashes and night sweats that began in their earlier years or before.

These are vasomotor symptoms, or VMS, because they happen due to changes in the diameter of blood vessels. Both VMS in menopause and migraines have to do with blood vessel contraction and dilation.

Within this same group of women, approximately 23% also suffered from migraines. This was the only group for whom the researchers found extra risk of stroke, heart attack or other cardiovascular events that couldn’t be explained by other risk factors that have long been known to be linked to cardiovascular problems.

Other women who had migraine but only minimal VMS symptoms starting in their 50s and 60s (even escalating within those age ranges) had no excess cardiovascular risk from the combination of conditions, once other risk factors were taken into account.

Bottom line: A higher risk of heart issues and stroke was only seen in those with long-term hot flashes, night sweats and migraines.

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Reducing the toll of hot flashes and migraine

Some of the most significant factors, gathered from the women’s early lives, in predicting who would go on to have persistent hot flashes and night sweats were having migraines, depression and smoking cigarettes. The risks were also higher for black women.

According to study leader Catherine Kim, M.D., M.P.H., “These two studies, taken together, underscore that not all women have the same experiences as they grow older, and that many can control the risk factors that might raise their chances of heart disease and stroke later in life.”

“For the subgroup with both migraines and early persistent hot flashes and night sweats, and for those currently experiencing migraines in their early adulthood, these findings point to an added need to control risks and address symptoms early,” she adds.

That’s where she feels the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 can help. And one reason may be its impact on aging…

Following the steps outlined in Life’s Essential 8 checklist has been found not only to improve heart health but also to slow the pace of biological aging.

The Michigan Medicine researchers did not imply as much, but poor lifestyle habits, including smoking or suffering from untreated conditions, like depression, may be linked to phenotypic age acceleration. Compared to chronological age, phenotypic age indicates faster biological aging.

One can’t help but wonder if that impacts the age at which menopausal VMS symptoms may start, which, when combined with migraine, certainly increases the risk for women in their 40s.

But even if you are well past your 40s, it’s never too late to begin practices that promote heart health — and indeed seek help for migraines. Treatments have come a long way, and some supplements have been shown to help.

Sources:

Menopause and migraines: New findings point to power of prevention — EurekAlert!

Life’s Essential 8 — American Heart Association

The post The menopause-migraine link to heart attack and stroke appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

One that we need to pay more attention is the effect menopause has on women’s heart health.

For women who have completed the menopausal journey, usually after age 50, heart disease is the #1 killer.

There are physiological reasons for this that we’ll explain here — as well as advice from the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement on specific preventive measures you can take now to prevent heart disease from catching up with you later.

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Lost estrogen means lost protection

Both men and women face the risk of stiffer arteries with age. But for women, age isn’t the only thing that can stiffen our arteries…

Hormones have been shown to affect several factors that regulate vascular wall elasticity. That’s why high estrogen levels are believed to play a role in why young adult women have a lower risk of heart disease than men in the same age range.

Estrogen is more than a “female hormone.” It keeps blood vessels relaxed and open. As estrogen levels decline, cholesterol may begin to build up on artery walls.

In a nutshell, as the end of a woman’s reproductive years approach, her levels of estrogen decline dramatically, and the greater her risk for cardiovascular disease.

That decline begins slowly. The first phase is perimenopause. This is when women begin experiencing mild fluctuations in estrogen levels. Then, around age 51, most women enter menopause and the typical symptoms increase. And the final stage — postmenopause — is where women will spend their remaining years.

Unfortunately, research has also shown that when a woman goes through early menopause, her odds of heart problems are even higher.

This means that as a woman, taking steps to support your arteries is a must. Supplements that support arterial health include:

• Vitamin K2 – This often neglected vitamin has been shown to help reduce calcium deposits that stiffen arteries.
• Grape seed extract plus pterostilbene – In a clinical trial at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, people who took 100mg of pterostilbene plus grape seed extracts showed measurable improvements in blood pressure and circulation.
• Green tea extract – Catechins found in green tea called have been shown to support against oxidative stress to support heart and blood vessel health. Plus, drinking just two to three cups of coffee and two to three cups of tea per day lowers stroke risk by a full 32 percent.
• Omega-3s – The omega-3s found in fish oil lower the risk for heart attack, coronary artery disease and sudden cardiac death.

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Get a head start on your heart health

“More women in the U.S. are living longer, and a significant portion of them will spend up to 40 percent of their lives postmenopausal,” says Dr. Brooke Aggarwal, assistant professor of medical sciences in Cardiology at Columbia University Medical Center.

Dr. Aggarwal is also a volunteer for the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement.

The AHA tells women that the best defense against menopause-related heart disease is working with your doctor to make sure your key health numbers like blood pressure, blood sugar, and body mass, are in a healthy range.

They also provide these specific tips to guard your heart through menopause and postmenopausal years as well:

• Health by the numbers: Blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index should be monitored yearly. More often if your numbers are out of range. Cholesterol level is also important, and healthy numbers are more individualized based on your other risk factors. Your doctor can help you figure this one out.
• The best way to eat: No single food is a miracle worker for health. Instead, look at your overall pattern of eating. Experts at the American Heart Association rated 10 popular eating patterns and the DASH-style and Mediterranean-style way of eating rose to the top as having the most heart-healthy elements.
• Exercise that does double-duty: Strength and resistance training is one of the four types of exercise in a general workout routine along with endurance, balance and flexibility. Strength training at least twice a week can help your bones and muscles maintain strength and density.
• Protect your sleep time: Healthy sleep is part of the 8 essential elements of heart health called Life’s Essential 8, but the transition to menopause comes with myriad interruptions to a good night’s rest — nightly restroom trips, night sweats, insomnia. In fact, sleep should be taken as seriously as nutrition and exercise. A few habit changes can improve sleep.

Women can start protecting themselves during their pre-menopausal years. But it’s never too late to start protecting your heart.

Sources:

Menopause and heart health – 4 tips for a healthy heart while your body is changing — Eureka Alert

Menopause Transition and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Implications for Timing of Early Prevention: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association — Circulation

What is Menopause? — American Heart Association/Go Red for Women

Menopause and Heart Health Infographic — American Heart Association/Go Red for Women

Have a Grateful Heart — American Heart Association/Go Red for Women

For women, hormones could wreak havoc on arteries — Easy Health Options

The post 4 tips for protecting your heart from menopause appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

On the scary end of the spectrum, obesity increases the risk for certain cancers — and while cancer rates in general have been decreasing, obesity-related cancers are on the rise.

Obesity also causes chronic inflammation which can lead to poor immune system response.

And obese people who undergo surgery often have a harder time recovering.

Now, research has found that for obese women, going through menopause can be a particularly difficult period of life, compared to how it goes for women who weigh less.

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Menopause + obesity = worse symptoms

At the 2023 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society, the results of a pilot study were presented showing that being obese may worsen a woman’s menopause symptoms and limit the amount of relief she gets from hormone therapy (HT).

The findings were based on a five-year study involving 119 patients with obesity, defined in this study as having a BMI greater than or equal to 30.

When compared with women without obesity, those with a BMI of 30 or greater were significantly more likely to report menopause-related vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats (74% vs 45%).

In addition, women with obesity were more likely to report vaginal and urinary symptoms of menopause, including vaginal dryness, urinary tract infections and inflammation of the vagina (60% vs 21%).

Mood disturbances like anxiety and depression (11% vs 0%) and decreased libido (29% vs 11%) were also more common.

Are women with obesity being underdosed with HT?

Dr. Anita Pershad of Eastern Virginia Medical School, who led the study, reports that women with obesity were less likely to feel symptom relief after using menopausal hormone therapy (HT) compared with women without obesity.

However, Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society, speculates on the possible reason behind this.

Dr. Faubion’s theory is that doctors aren’t putting women with obesity on adequate doses of hormone therapy, possibly because of concerns about cardiovascular risk factors.

“This is important for healthcare professionals to consider when counseling their patients on the various options for managing their menopause symptoms,” she says. “Considering that more than 40% of women over the age of 40 are classified as obese according to the CDC, these results could be meaningful to a large percentage of patients transitioning through menopause.”

Earlier this year, we learned that being obese can modify the effects of drugs used to treat common conditions. In some cases, it can render the drugs ineffective and in others, downright unsafe for people with obesity.

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Menopause relief without HRT

There are things women can do to help reduce their menopausal symptoms that have nothing to do with hormone therapy.

A diet heavy in fruits and vegetables and low in meat, dairy, processed foods, caffeine, and salty foods can help control symptoms like hot flashes. Just stay away from citrus fruits if you’re having bladder control issues.

And get this…

A 2022 study proved that a low-fat, vegan diet that included half a cup of soybeans daily was virtually as effective as HRT (88% vs 90%) at controlling hot flashes!

Making these diet changes to relieve menopause symptoms may also have the bonus side effect of weight loss.

But embarking on a strict weight loss diet while trying to handle menopause at the same time could be daunting, to say the least.

If that’s the case, this is one time where, if you and your doctor agree, weight loss surgery may be the better choice.

A study from just a couple of years ago found that the metabolic benefits from weight loss surgery may outweigh natural weight loss — including a 40 percent reduction in risk of death and heart complications in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Of course, many are quick to jump on the Ozempic bandwagon. Just do your research first, and be aware of the risks, of which rebound weight gain may be the least, and the Ozempic plateau we’re just starting to hear about.

Sources:

Menopausal Women With Obesity Endure Worse Symptoms, Less HT Relief — Medpage Today

Obese women have worse menopause symptoms nd get less relief from hormone therapy — Eureka Alert

Obesity is a killer in nonsmoking women — Science Daily

Study shows certain foods reduce hot flashes associated with menopause by 88% — Eureka Alert

The post Menopause: Why some women have it worse appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Unfortunately, once menopause is “done”, it’s not necessarily smooth sailing.

Postmenopause, the time that starts twelve months after a woman’s last menstrual period, brings with it lingering symptoms of hormonal imbalance and new uncomfortable symptoms, as well as a vulnerability for osteoporosis, heart disease and depression.

Vitamin D is one way to help. One study showed that postmenopausal women who did not get enough of the “sunshine vitamin” were 18 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Of course, we’ve been encouraged to get more vitamin D by spending time in the sun. But it turns out that sunbathing is a double-edged sword, especially during this time of a woman’s life.

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Too much sun disrupts hormones even more

Kai Triebner is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Bergen in Norway. For several years, he has studied the effects that changing hormone levels have on women at various stages of the menopausal “transition,” including pre- and post-menopause.

Triebner’s earlier research has shown that menopause affects women’s lung function negatively, and that spending time outdoors may actually postpone menopause.

But here’s the “double-edged sword” part…

Triebner has recently made another discovery: that too much sun exposure can further throw a post-menopausal woman’s hormones out of whack, making her more vulnerable to significant health risks.

Triebner and his team collected data from 580 postmenopausal women from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, France, and Spain, who participated in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS).

They found that women who were most exposed to sunlight had lower levels of estrogen and more gonadotropins (which stimulate ovulation), compared to those exposed to lower levels of UV radiation.

In other words, hormonal balance of these women was completely off the rails.

“A low estrogen level and a high level of the other hormones increases the risk of osteoporosis, cardiac diseases and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s,” says Triebner.

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A better way to get vitamin D after menopause

Truth be told, relying on sunlight exposure after the age of 55 isn’t the best way to maintain healthy vitamin D levels, even aside from this new information about how time in the sun further disrupts hormones.

See, with age, the mechanism by which the body converts sunlight to vitamin D3 when it hits the skin is no longer as efficient.

That’s compounded for women because falling estrogen can affect the skin in lots of different ways. It not only makes the skin drier, but it tends to get thinner as well.

In fact, it’s one of the reasons most people over 50 are deficient, and why autoimmune diseases have risen in this age group by 50 percent in the last 25 years.

Foods rich in vitamin D include:

• salmon
• sardines
• canned tuna
• mushrooms
• egg yolks

You can also try a quality vitamin D3 supplement.

Just remember — if you’re post-menopausal a little sun can still be beneficial. But avoid sunscreens that contain hormone-disrupting chemicals that can further cause problems. Look for natural ways to protect against sun damage, including polyphenol-rich foods, and of course, wear protective clothing.

Sources:

Sunbathing after menopause may be harmful — Neuroscience News

Ultraviolet radiation as a predictor of sex hormone levels in postmenopausal women: A European multi-center study (ECRHS) — maturitas.org

What Health Changes Should You Expect Postmenopause? — healthline.com

The vitamin that slows aging where it starts — Easy Health Options

The post Why menopause makes time in the sun riskier appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

For others, it brings a nightmare of hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, depression, fatigue and headaches.

Doctors treat menopause like it’s a disease rather than a transitional part of a woman’s life. And, conventional treatment using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can cause problems like bleeding, bloating, breast tenderness or enlargement, headaches, mood changes and nausea — and potentially increase your cancer risk.

So, where does that leave you if you are suffering from the extreme symptoms of menopause but don’t want to risk adding even more issues by taking that pill or using that cream?

Luckily, there is an answer in a 10,000-year-old traditional Chinese practice that has helped many women overcome the challenges of menopause and reduce the severity of their symptoms, including the frequency and intensity of hot flashes, sleep and mood disturbances, stress and muscle and joint pain.

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The practice that restores vitality

Qigong translated literally means a skilled practice that restores vitality. It’s been practiced in China for centuries to cultivate health and support mental, emotional, and spiritual awakening.

The goal for women practicing qigong is to successfully connect the mind and body to reduce menopausal symptoms by initiating harmony of the mind, body and spirit and by balancing the hormones that are responsible for all of the chaos.

And let me explain why that’s so important…

The results of not one but two studies, found that lack of sleep and the symptoms of menopause cause women to age faster — not the other way around.

“For decades, scientists have disagreed over whether menopause causes aging or aging causes menopause,” said Steve Horvath, a professor of human genetics and biostatistics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, and a senior author on both studies. “It’s like the chicken or the egg: which came first? Our study is the first to demonstrate that menopause makes you age faster.”

And who wants to age faster?

Qigong’s secret to easing the symptoms of menopause lies in these 3 steps:

1. The activation of the “Power Center” Sacrum related to boosting the energy levels of the reproductive system.
2. The development of the Reproductive Energy Pathways and reproductive glands which include the Testes/Prostate or Ovaries/Uterus.
3. Reversing the energy flow of the reproductive energies from outward to inward. This will allow the body to digest more of its reproductive energies for upgrading our energy levels that can be used for healing, personal growth and spiritual development.

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How to get started

If you are suffering from the annoying and aging symptoms of menopause, it is time to try qigong.

Easy Health Options is fortunate that martial arts and Traditional Chinese Medicine expert, Dr. Mark Wiley, is a regular contributor. You can find a few qigong videos in Dr. Wiley’s posts, like this one that features the 9 Brocade Qigong set — which are among the best exercises to rejuvenate the mind, body and energy systems. Each specific exercise in the set moves a different series of body parts stretches energy meridians and affects the organ systems in different ways.

Just remember, the longer you practice, the bigger the benefits you’ll see.

In fact, one study showed that women who practiced qigong for 30 minutes per day saw significant improvements in sleep quality and menopausal symptoms at 6 weeks and again at 12 weeks of practice.

Qigong is easy to learn and suitable for almost all fitness levels.

So, instead of turning to hormone replacement and suffering the side effects that come with it, try tackling the symptoms of menopause the traditional Chinese way and attain vibrant health and vitality by connecting your mind, body and spirit through the practice of qigong.

Sources:

1. Menopausal Symptoms: In Depth — National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

2. Taoist Secrets to Menopause & Low Testosterone — The Noble School of Qigong

3. Perimenopause and Menopause — Pujari Center

4. Aging is a hoax: The menopause myth

The post Beat menopause with a 10,000-year-old Chinese secret appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

As a teenager, I remember riding in the car with my parents in the dead of winter, and my mother rolling down the window and lifting her face to the frigid breeze (and freezing me out in the back seat as well!).

Only as a middle-aged woman myself did I understand this seemingly bizarre behavior. Mom was having hot flashes!

I’m well past that now, but I remember how disruptive those sudden sweats were to my daily life (not to mention waking up to soaked bedsheets).

Many women turn to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a solution. But this treatment comes with risks, including breast cancer, heart disease and stroke.

A recent series of studies has shown that there’s a safer intervention that’s exactly as effective as HRT… and it’s right on your dinner plate.

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The WAVS study: Dietary changes slash hot flashes

A new study published by the North American Menopause Society has described a dietary intervention for menopausal hot flashes that is virtually as effective as hormone replacement therapy (88 percent vs. 90 percent) but without the health risks associated with HRT.

The subjects of this study were 84 post-menopausal women who reported two or more hot flashes per day. The women were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group for twelve weeks.

During that time, those in the intervention group ate a low-fat, vegan diet which included half a cup of cooked soybeans daily, while those in the control group made no changes to their normal diet.

Not only did a plant-based diet rich in soy reduce moderate to severe hot flashes by 88 percent, but it also helped women lose an average of eight pounds in twelve weeks.

This was actually the second phase of a two-part trial.

The first phase happened during the fall of 2021, which made researchers wonder whether the cooler weather might be part of the explanation for the women’s relief from hot flashes.

But in this most recent phase, women began the study during the spring and summer, so the researchers could only conclude that the dietary intervention was the deciding factor.

“These new results suggest that a diet change should be considered as a first-line treatment for troublesome vasomotor symptoms, including night sweats and hot flashes,” says lead researcher Dr. Neal Barnard, adjunct professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine.

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This diet is good for women in other ways, too

“This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a dietary intervention for menopausal symptoms,” Dr. Barnard explains. “As well, it is precisely the diet that would be expected to reduce the health concerns of many women reaching menopause: an increasing risk of heart disease, breast cancer, and memory problems.”

So, how do you begin making changes to your diet?

You don’t need to become a vegan overnight, or at all, for that matter. But you can make your diet more plant-based and healthy in other ways.

Here are some tips on how your food choices can make your menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, better (or worse!).

One word of advice: if you haven’t yet hit menopause or had symptoms like hot flashes, try eating less fat and more veggies NOW. When you do hit menopause and those estrogen levels drop, research shows that you’ll have a much easier time of it!

Sources:

Study shows certain foods reduce hot flashes associated with menopause by 88% — Eureka Alert

A dietary intervention for vasomotor symptoms of menopause: a randomized, controlled trial — Menopause

The Women’s Study for the Alleviation of Vasomotor Symptoms (WAVS): a randomized, controlled trial of a plant-based diet and whole soybeans for postmenopausal women — Menopause

The post ‘Menopause diet’ significantly reduces hot flashes and weight appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Worldwide, women with dementia outnumber men by 2 to 1. And of the 6 million people in the United States diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, two-thirds are women.

Now, scientists are finding that dementia risk may be even higher for women who experience menopause earlier than normal…

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Early menopause and higher odds of dementia

A large study of women in the United Kingdom found women who enter menopause very early — before the age of 40 — are 35 percent more likely to develop some type of dementia later in life than women who enter menopause around age 50.

Also, women who entered menopause before 45 were 1.3 times more likely to develop early-onset dementia before the age of 65.

Women who entered menopause later, at age 52 or older, showed similar dementia risk to women whose menopause set in at the average age of 50-51.

“Being aware of this increased risk can help women practice strategies to prevent dementia and to work with their physicians to closely monitor their cognitive status as they age,” says Dr. Wenting Hao, a Ph.D. candidate at Shandong University in Jinan, China.

In dementia, serious changes occur in the brain that impair a person’s memory, as well as their ability to make decisions and use language. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia and is associated with ….

The second most common, vascular dementia, results from disruptions in blood flow to brain cells. These disruptions can be caused by strokes or plaque buildup in arteries supplying blood to the brain.

“Dementia can be prevented, and there are a number of ways women who experience early menopause may be able to reduce their risk of dementia,” Hao says. “This includes routine exercise, participation in leisure and educational activities, not smoking and not drinking alcohol, maintaining a healthy weight, getting enough vitamin D and, if recommended by their physician, possibly taking calcium supplements.”

What to do if you’ve entered menopause early

If you’re one of those women who has experienced menopause before the age of 50, you should tell your doctor and have them help keep tabs on your cognitive health.

As far as whether you should start hormone replacement therapy (HRT), it can definitely help with menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. But so far, it’s not clear whether HRT can help stave off dementia.

At least one study has shown that estrogen replacement therapy could be a factor in helping to limit the loss of gray matter that normally comes with menopause, leading to lower Alzheimer’s risk. But others have indicated that taking conjugated (or synthetic) estrogens can actually increase your risk of dementia when taken late in life.

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Can menopause be delayed?

That may sound crazy but here’s what I found when I dug for answers…

Research from Leeds University in the United Kingdom appears to indicate that food can influence the onset of menopause — both delaying and speeding things up.

Here’s what they saw using data from the UK Women’s Cohort Study:

• Each portion of carbohydrates, such as pasta and rice, consumed per day correlated with experiencing menopause 1.5 years earlier.
• Each daily portion of fish and fresh legumes, such as peas and beans, delayed menopause onset for over 3 years.
• Higher daily consumption of vitamin B-6 and zinc was also associated with later menopause. (In separate research, higher levels of vitamin B3, or niacin, was found protective against Alzheimer’s.)
• In a comparison of meat-eaters versus vegetarians, eating meat was linked with a 1-year delay in menopause onset.

The researchers speculated the difference may link to free radicals — which negatively impact the maturation of eggs and their release (not to mention premature aging). Legumes contain antioxidants, well-known fighters of free radicals, and omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish, are believed to trigger antioxidant activity.

Antioxidants can also protect the brain from oxidative stress. In fact, lutein and zeaxanthin, plentiful in fruits and vegetables, provide significant protection.

Another option? Sex…

Research published in Royal Society Open Science, analyzed data from 2,936 women drawn from 11 waves of the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation. They concluded that women who reported having sex weekly were 28 percent less likely to go through menopause than women who had sex less than once a month.

Sources:

Early menopause may raise risk of dementia later in life — American Heart Association

Why is dementia different for women? — Alzheimer’s Society

These foods may delay menopause — Medical News Today

Sexual frequency is associated with age of natural menopause — Royal Society Open Science

The post How your age at menopause impacts your dementia risk appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

A cup of ginseng tea in the morning can wake you up better than a cup of coffee.

And, unlike coffee, ginseng (in tea or supplement form) is an anti-viral and anti-inflammatory that stops our stress response cycle, including the immune response that follows stress.

The benefits of this are many, including boosting memory and brain function and preventing cancer.

Ginseng also improves overall metabolic health, making things like heart disease and diabetes far less of a threat.

A recent study points to the ability of one variety, Korean red ginseng, to actually slow down the aging process at the cellular level.

Red ginseng supports mitochondria, slows down aging

Just a few months ago, a group of Korean researchers concluded a study where the subjects were postmenopausal women, ages 46 through 69.

Post-menopausal women are particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress and physical aging, because of their reduced estrogen levels.

The study assessed three factors related to biological aging:

• Total antioxidant status (TAS)
• Health of mitochondrial DNA (mutations in this DNA have been associated with aging).
• Severity of fatigue – each woman was rated on a fatigue severity scale (FSS)

The women in the study were divided randomly into two groups. The experimental group took a tablet containing 2g of Korean red ginseng (KRG), every day for eight weeks, while the control group received a placebo.

Korean red ginseng (KRG) is Korean white ginseng that has been steamed and dried, resulting in an increased concentration of beneficial compounds known as ginsenosides.

After eight weeks, three main effects were evident in the experimental group:

• A statistically significant increase in the mitochondrial DNA copy number (an accepted measure of biological aging)
• A statistically significant increase in total antioxidant status
• A statistically significant decrease in reported fatigue symptom

In other words, taking just 2g of red ginseng per day for eight weeks moved the needle toward healthier aging and increased longevity.

Things to know about ginseng

Red ginseng does more than slow down aging. It’s been found to block a protein that causes the spread of lung cancer. It also can fend off infection by the influenza A virus.

Ginseng is an adaptogenic herb, which means it helps the body adapt to almost any adverse situation, and by doing this it also stops chronic inflammation in its tracks, helping with everything from memory and brain function to metabolic health.

Ginseng is available as supplements, extracts or tea.

Just be aware that ginseng is potent and can interact with some medications, particularly blood thinners, antidepressants, antipsychotics, morphine and some diabetic medications. If that’s the case, you don’t have to miss out on energizing your mitochondria…

Another option is pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ), a powerful antioxidant that’s considered a “longevity” nutrient because it lowers the risk of age-related disease by improving the function of the mitochondria. In fact, PQQ may do more than improve the function of mitochondria — it may actually replenish mitochondria, which begin to dwindle in number as we age.

Sources:

The Effects of Korean Red Ginseng on Biological Aging — Natural Health Research Institute

The Effects of Korean Red Ginseng on Biological Aging and Antioxidant Capacity in Post-Menopausal Women: a Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Study — Nutrients

Immunomodulatory activity of red ginseng against influenza A virus infection — Nutrients

The post Red ginseng helps slow aging, boost energy after menopause appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

However, while menopause isn’t always a walk in the park, everything post-menopause isn’t always bad news — a point made clear by research from the University of Eastern Finland.

In fact, according to those scientists, one of our biggest concerns when going through the change — loss of bone density — isn’t half as bad as previously thought…

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25-year follow-up yields encouraging results

The researchers performed an impressive feat, following a total of 14,200 women between the ages of 47 to 56 for a whopping 25 years, who completed health surveys. An additional 3,000 women also went through bone density measurements at those five-year marks. All of this ensured that the research was hands-down the world’s longest follow-up of changes in bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.

And overall, they found that “The average decrease in bone mineral density was lower than has been assumed on the basis of earlier, shorter follow-ups where the bone loss rate at the femoral neck has been estimated to be even more than 20 percent.”

So what was the actual percentage by which bone mineral density goes down after menopause?

Well, the researchers say that their measurements show an average decrease of just 10 percent over a full 25 years — way different than that 20 percent plus we’ve all been told to expect.

What to do with this information

It’s certainly a relief to know that if you’re already post-menopausal, you’ve hopefully lost less bone density than you may have thought.

But the loss of bone density is still a fact of life. Women have smaller, thinner and less dense bones than men. Women also live longer than men and our lifespan may get even longer with advances in medicine and nutrition.

And if you don’t want to spend those extra years sitting on the sidelines due to frailty, it just makes sense to continue to do the things that not only help your bones — but your overall health — including:

#1 – Strength training

Research has linked weightlifting and strength training to bone health due to the ability of this type of exercise to promote new bone growth and help support the existing bone structure.

#2 – Eating more veggies

One study in postmenopausal women found that those who ate more than nine servings of veggies such as broccoli and cabbage had less bone turnover and reduced calcium loss than women who consumed fewer vegetables.

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#3 – Getting adequate calcium in your diet

It’s no secret that calcium is vital to bone health. You can find the calcium you need for strong bones in foods like sardines, yogurt, cheese and kale.

However, while calcium is well-known, most of us forget to also increase another mineral that works with calcium for bone support — phosphorus. You should plan on approximately 700 mg per day of this mineral from foods like salmon, almonds, eggs and peanuts.

In fact, the combination of these two bone health powerhouses is as effective as exercise in maintaining dense, healthy bones.

#4 – Don’t forget vitamin K2

Be sure to get more vitamin K2 in your diet since this nutrient is necessary for binding minerals like calcium to your bones and ensuring that they aren’t sent to your arteries where they can cause stiffness and high blood pressure.

#5 – Vitamin D still matters

Of course, vitamin D is important to help your body absorb calcium, but that’s far from its only benefit. Vitamin D has important roles in cancer, immunity, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular and respiratory health, obesity, diabetes, muscle function and aging.

#6 – Enjoy your coffee

Drinking coffee is significantly associated with a lower risk of osteoporosis in men and premenopausal women. What’s responsible for this phenomenon? The anti-inflammatory polyphenol known as chlorogenic acid.

Sources:

11 ways to increase bone density naturally — MedicalNewsToday

Bone mineral density decreases less than expected after menopause — EurekAlert!

The post Good news for your bones if you’ve passed menopause appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

On the one hand, studies have linked soy products to health issues related to hormone disruption, including thyroid problems and breast health issues, as well as other problems like allergies and asthma. Some soy products, like soybean oil, are especially unhealthy and can lead to conditions like obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance and brain issues.

However, these problems appear to be linked to the types of soy products being consumed. Research has also shown that eating whole soy foods, especially fermented types like tempeh, miso and natto, can help protect against arterial stiffness, which can help ward off cognitive decline as well as cardiovascular issues.

And there’s also mounting evidence that women with menopause can benefit from adding soybeans to their diets…

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Soy can turn off hot flashes

According to a recent study published by the North American Menopause Society, a plant-based diet rich in whole soy can dramatically cut the number of hot flashes experienced by menopausal women.

Hot flashes are among the most common and unpleasant symptoms experienced by women with menopause. They can cause flushing, sweating and chills and often interrupt sleep. And while estrogen-based hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may help relieve hot flashes, it can also carry risks to breast and reproductive health as well as raise the chances of blood clots and stroke.

In the 12-week study, postmenopausal women reporting two or more hot flashes per day were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The intervention group received a low-fat, vegan diet including half a cup of cooked soybeans daily, and the control group made no changes to their diet. The study didn’t use any hormone medications or extracts.

The participants used a mobile application to track how frequently they had hot flashes and how severe they were. They also filled out a questionnaire to assess other symptoms of menopause.

Results found this diet reduced moderate-to-severe hot flashes by 84%, or from nearly five per day to fewer than one per day. Overall, hot flashes, including mild ones, decreased by 79% in women in the dietary intervention group. In addition, 59% of women on the diet saw their moderate-to-severe hot flashes disappear entirely.

Many participants in the intervention group also reported improvements in sexual symptoms, mood and overall energy.

These results show that changes in diet can be much more potent for relieving hot flashes than scientists previously thought.

“This is a game-changer for women aged 45 and over, most of whom we now know can get prompt relief from the most severe and troubling menopause symptoms without drugs,” says lead researcher Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

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The mechanism behind soy’s relief

Researchers believe the effect of soy on hot flashes may be because it contains isoflavones. Certain gut bacteria can convert these isoflavones into equol, a nonsteroidal compound that some studies show can reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes. Previous research has demonstrated that people following vegetarian or vegan diets produce higher levels of equol.

Study author Dr. Hana Kahleova, director of clinical research for the Physicians Committee, says the research team believes the combination of soy and a plant-based diet was the key. “By the end of the study, the majority of women on a plant-based diet rich in soy reported that they no longer experienced moderate-to-extreme hot flashes at all and that they experienced significant improvements in their quality of life,” she says.

Interestingly, isoflavone extracts from soybeans have been found to have only a modest impact on hot flashes. This could be because the extracts don’t interact with gut bacteria the same way as whole soy products do.

If you’re looking to manage your hot flashes and other menopause symptoms with diet, the first step is to ditch as many animal products as possible. The closer your diet is to vegetarian or vegan, the more effective it will be.

As far as adding soy, your best bet is to include whole soybeans in your plant-based diet by cooking them and adding them to soups or salads. Or, if you want to add an extra health boost, you can try eating natto, a food made from fermented soybeans, which can help improve circulation and balance blood sugar. You can find natto in many Asian specialty food stores or order it online here.

Sources:

Study Shows Diet Causes 84% Drop in Troublesome Menopausal Symptoms—without Drugs — Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

The Women’s Study for the Alleviation of Vasomotor Symptoms (WAVS)

a randomized, controlled trial of a plant-based diet and whole soybeans for postmenopausal women — Menopause

Is HRT safe to use for the menopause? What the science says — University of Oxford

The post The surprising truth about soy and hot flashes appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Your hormones rely on key nutrients to work at their best, and it is virtually impossible to get everything you need through food alone (unless you want to eat 10lbs of broccoli sprouts every day… No? You’re in the right place).

If you neglect your dietary and nutritional needs, stress management, sleep, and toxic load, then the supplements will not be able to support your body in the way that they should.

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But, if you are making changes already to strengthen your foundation and reduce stress levels, then some of these supplements could be a key addition to your personal healthcare plan!

 A quick note on supplement sources and quality: NOT ALL SUPPLEMENTS ARE CREATED EQUAL. Many you find on supermarket shelves or from online retailers are not tested for quality—and many do not even contain the ingredients they claim! I created the Essentially Whole line of supplements to guarantee a quality source of supplements you can trust for all your hormone needs.

Let’s take a look at the best and most well-researched supplements available for various types of hormonal support!

#1 – DIM (DIINDOLYLMETHANE). Found in cruciferous vegetables, DIM shows great promise for its ability to increase the body’s production of healthy estrogen while decreasing the bad. As both a phytonutrient and antioxidant, it prevents estrogenic cancers, alleviates symptoms of PMS as well as those experienced by those entering the menopause transition. While supporting a healthy metabolism, it can help your body to balance estrogen and testosterone levels while also aiding adrenal function and reducing chronic inflammation.

#2 – CHASTEBERRY (VITEX AGNUS-CASTUS), OR VITEX. Chasteberry supports hormonal activity especially low progesterone levels, possibly affecting the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland, lowering imbalanced levels of prolactin, and also influencing several neurotransmitters in the body. For supporting symptoms of perimenopause and postmenopause as well as balancing emotional issues, many women have found success in combining it with Black Cohosh.

#3 – BLACK COHOSH (CIMICIFUGA RACEMOSA) has been used in Native American natural healing to support a variety of health issues, but especially those related to the female reproductive system and childbirth. Known as Remifemin in Germany, it has found success as a supportive supplement for women dealing with PMS or menopause that influences serotonin receptors to ease hot flashes and regulate hormones. Use it with caution, however, since it is only recommended for 6-months at a time to prevent any potential side effects.

#4 – MAGNESIUM. Most people are deficient in this vital mineral, but magnesium is a crucial component that your hormones rely on. In addition to supporting many systems, it supports the HPA Axis by regulating healthy cortisol levels and protecting your body from the onslaught of toxins and free radicals. In turn, this helps to up your libido and promote fertility for a healthy reproductive system unencumbered by chronic stress levels. While you can do things like take an Epsom salt bath to support your body’s needs, a supplement is the easiest and fastest ways to maintain optimal levels in your body.

Essentially Whole Magnesium Restore is designed to deliver easy-to-absorb magnesium to your body so your cells can have exactly what they need (without uncomfortable side effects or digestive upset that many forms cause). Get it here!

#5 – B-COMPLEX VITAMINS (B1, B2, B3, B6, B12) are unsurpassed as vital components for optimum body functioning, especially to support healthy liver and adrenal function. Thiamin (B1), Ribloflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), Pyridoxine (B6), and Cobalamin (B12) each play a vital role in our overall health, but especially post-menopausal when our libido may suffer. B-complex vitamins can help to reduce cortisol levels and keep your reproductive system functioning properly.

Essentially Whole Activated B Complete contains pure, methylated B vitamins in optimal proportions to deliver maximum benefit to your body! Get it here!

#6 – ASHWAGANDHA + RHODIOLA ROSEA. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) boasts the ability to combat chronic stress levels while restoring proper reproductive function, especially where sexy time is concerned. Other benefits include supporting memory and cognition as well as alleviating symptoms associated with depression and anxiety without side effects. Rhodiola rosea also helps to fight those stressors that plague the body to revitalize overall wellness as an adaptogenic herb. The body-mind connection greatly benefits from its rejuvenating properties to balance your mood and fight symptoms of fatigue or distress. Combining the two creates an amazing blend to sustain your energy and revitalize your mind, with overall body support.

#7 – OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS (DHA & EPA) play essential roles in our brain health and should be a regular part of our diets. Most people, however, do not get the bare-minimum 2 servings of fatty fish each week, necessitating a supplement to support optimum brain health. DHA strengthens brain function, while EPA reduces problematic inflammation, even helpful in those recovering from traumatic brain injuries. Both acids support transmission of messages from the CNS to the body.

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# 8 – HOPS (HUMULUS LUPULUS L.) may sound like a surprising addition to this list, but this isn’t a free pass to go to the bar. In the female flowers of the hops plant is an amazingly potent phytoestrogen called 8-prenylnarigenin that mimics estrogen in your body. This supplement isn’t for everyone, especially those with estrogen dominance, but those facing perimenopause, when natural hormonal decline begins, may benefit. It can alleviate some of the horrid symptoms, while possibly stimulating the production of progesterone.

#9 – MACA (LEPIDUM MEYENII) is a root popular in the Peruvian diet due to its rich content of nutritional vitamins and minerals. It supports healthy reproductive function and alleviates symptoms of PMS and balancing hormones while working as a natural aphrodisiac. It can be very easily incorporated into your diet as a powder added to smoothies, making it a quick way to support your nutritional needs and hormonal balance.

#10 – PROBIOTICS are an excellent way to support your gut health, where 90% of the body’s serotonin production exists. Gut health is key, as it functions as our “second brain,” relaying many messages to the brain throughout the day. Chronic stress can cause digestive fatigue, so keeping it healthy will serve your body well. Probiotics are a great natural way to support the natural bacterial flora in your gut, but they aren’t all made the same. When choosing an effective probiotic, make sure to find one with 30-40 strains. And if you are trying to support a specific issue, choose one that has the specific strain listed for that issue. I also recommend adding probiotic-rich foods to your daily diet like; kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi.

BONUS BLENDS!

Looking at a list of 10+ supplements can feel overwhelming. Where do you even start?!

That’s why I created a few stellar hormone-supporting supplement blends that you can use to harness the power of many of these powerful nutrients in one convenient package:

Essentially Whole Hormone Balance contains Magnesium, B vitamins, DIM, Chaste Tree, Black Cohosh, and more to create a hormone-loving powerhouse supplement—get it here!

Essentially Whole Adrenal Love contains key vitamins plus ashwagandha, rhodiola, and more botanicals and nutrients that will enhance adrenal health to maintain your hormone levels (especially in perimenopause and menopause) while boosting your energy, too! Get it here!

I have combined these 2 powerhouse blends into a Daily Energy and Hormone Support Bundle so you can easily get your body back into balance without synthetic treatments or dangerous drugs. Save 10% on the bundle here!

THE BOTTOM LINE

Each person has their own specific nutritional and dietary needs as well as special circumstances that will dictate what supplements may be the best for them, and I want you to be the best that you can be. In general, supplements are the safest and easiest way to restore balance to your body and relieve hormone-related symptoms, and the ones I outlined today are some of my favorites!

If you have pre-existing conditions or special concerns, please discuss adding these supplements to your regimen with a trusted provider. As I mentioned above, only use supplement sources you trust so you can ensure you’re getting exactly what you pay for. Essentially Whole supplements are triple-checked for quality and potency, so you can be confident in making this investment in your health! Shop the whole line here today!

TOP SUPPLEMENTS FOR HORMONES FAQ:

What supplements are good for hormonal imbalance?
Most hormonal imbalances are linked to deficiencies in several key nutrients, so I recommend everyone take Magnesium, B complex vitamins, Omega 3 fatty acids, and probiotics to make sure your body has the building blocks it needs to work its best. Beyond these, several adaptogens and herbal supplements like DIM, Vitex, Black Cohosh, Maca, Hops, Ashwagandha, and Rhodiola are powerful aids to promote happy hormones.

How do you know if you have hormone imbalance?
Hormone imbalances is a wide term that can mean a lot of different things. While period issues, severe PMS, migraines, hot flashes, lagging libido, and other similar issues are what most of us recognize as “hormone problems,” it really goes much further. Lack of energy, brain fog, sleep problems, digestive distress, stubborn weight, and skin issues (among many other symptoms) are also all tied to your hormones.

What are the best supplements for women?
Every woman is unique, and there’s not a one-size-fits-all pill I can recommend. A couple that I believe EVERY woman needs are Magnesium, B complex vitamins, Omega 3 fatty acids, and Probiotics. But if you have specific hormone concerns, DIM, Vitex, Black Cohosh, Maca, Hops, Ashwagandha, and Rhodiola can all be helpful aids to get you feeling your best.

The post Top 10 supplements to balance hormones naturally appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

You may be asking yourself, “How did I get here? Why do I feel so bad?” If you’re between the ages of 35-50 (or somewhere in that neighborhood) then your hormones are most likely to blame. Your reproductive hormones are fluctuating, and ultimately beginning to or finishing their decline to menopause. It can be a difficult time. But it doesn’t have to be.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of depression, you may be considering a trip to your doctor to discuss the possibility of anti-depressant medication.

Before you do this, let me encourage you to try a more holistic approach first. You see, anti-depressants don’t really fix the underlying issue. They’re sort of a stop-gap solution.  

For starters, they don’t address the underlying hormonal changes that are most likely the root cause of your depression. Secondly, it has been estimated that a significant percentage of individuals on anti-depressants don’t actually see any marked improvement of their symptoms.  

Yikes! All that money for nothing.

Thirdly, as you know, all drugs have potential side effects. Why risk developing side effects like nausea, insomnia, agitation, weight gain, sexual dysfunction, and cardiovascular events if there is a better solution?

WHAT YOUR DOCTOR IS NOT CONSIDERING…

When you complain to your health care provider about your depression symptoms he or she may be quick to write you a prescription. Most of the time, unless they are a functional medicine or holistic practitioner, they don’t take the opportunity to search for underlying causes.  It’s quicker to just slap on a band-aid. They may not take the time to order blood work to check your hormone levels.

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WHAT DO MY HORMONES HAVE TO DO WITH MY DEPRESSION?

There are four key hormonal players that are most likely responsible for contributing to your depression in some way, shape or form. 

ESTROGEN

If you’re struggling with symptoms of depression it could be that your estrogen levels are too low. Your estrogen levels normally fluctuate during your cycle, but sometimes they can drop too low, which can really mess with your body. Estrogen helps to boost serotonin and endorphins as well as increasing levels of the neurotransmitter GABA. These hormones have a profound effect on your mood and sense of well-being. When your estrogen levels are too low your brain’s natural serotonin production suffers leading to depressed mood, insomnia, fatigue, and a decreased sense of pleasure in life.

A simple way to increase GABA levels to calm your body and support overall peace and emotional health is with my Calm & Restore supplement. This chewable tablet is designed to supply bioidentical GABA exactly when you need it! You can take it in the evening to promote restful sleep, or throughout the day when you feel the overwhelm kicking in.

Get Calm & Restore here today!

PROGESTERONE

While estrogen is important for maintaining healthy emotional balance, progesterone is equally important for maintaining your hormonal equilibrium. Progesterone is a calming hormone, and it has antidepressant-like effects. It also helps to regulate your estrogen levels. Without the proper balance between estrogen and progesterone, you can experience a range of mood disorders from depression to anxiety.  

Since progesterone levels begin to plummet during perimenopause, naturally increasing them may relieve your depression and support a healthy emotional balance (and protect your body from the dangers of excess estrogen). Check out this post for my top tips to increase progesterone naturally!

CORTISOL

Here’s an interesting connection for you: According to scientific research, it has been shown that nearly fifty percent of severely depressed individuals have elevated cortisol levels. That puts your chronic stress into a whole new light now, doesn’t it? Chronic stress, as you know, is a major factor in elevating cortisol levels. Your other hormones suffer because of it, leading to imbalances in estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid hormones, which then lead to dropping levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters that keep your mood balanced. Do you see the cascade? Depression is not something that happens overnight. It happens as a result of changes happening in your body over a longer period of time.

THYROID

Your thyroid has multiple roles in your body.  It controls your metabolism, helps regulate your blood sugar, and helps control the release of stress hormones, among other things. When you have a deficiency of thyroid hormones your neurotransmitters can be affected, leading to depression. If you suffer from symptoms of hypo-thyroidism you should definitely get checked by your doctor.  

BEFORE YOU TAKE AN ANTI-DEPRESSANT

Many people want a quick fix for their depression, however, I think it would be worth your while to do a little investigating to find out what is causing your depression and take steps to correct it before you turn to anti-depressant medication. A visit to your doctor or trusted healthcare professional might be in order. Ask them to order blood work to check your estrogen, progesterone, thyroid, and/or cortisol levels. Having your Vitamin D levels checked may also be helpful as a deficiency can also cause symptoms of depression.

NATURAL SOLUTIONS

There are a number of things you can try to help support normal hormone levels and boost your mood.  

First of all, make sure you’re moving on a daily basis. I know it might be hard to get yourself out of bed or off the couch right now, but doing some yoga or taking a daily walk (we’re not talking hard-core exercise here) will increase blood flow and stimulate your brain to release endorphins.  

Pay attention to what you’re eating.  If most of your nutrition is coming from highly processed food then chances are your blood sugar and insulin are on a roller-coaster. When you consume a lot of sugar, the crash that follows can make you feel pretty low emotionally, mentally, and physically. Opt for less sugar and more protein mixed with a moderate amount of healthy fats to help balance your hormones.

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There are a number of supplements that you may find helpful. Research has shown that taking supplemental magnesium (especially in combination with Vitamin D) may help to ease depression and anxiety. You can get Magnesium, Vitamin D, along with my other top supplements for mood & stress support in the Essentially Whole store.

Finally, add some essential oils to your daily routine.  No, they won’t fix your underlying hormonal issues, but they can give you an edge on toning down your stress levels which may ultimately help balance out your mood.  

Add some uplifting oils to your diffuser each day to help you relax, focus, or give you a little mood boost. Your sense of smell is directly connected to the limbic center of your brain which controls emotions. The fastest way to affect this control center is through your olfactory sense. Here are a few great choices for diffusing when you need a mood boost: Bergamot, Clary Sage, Lemon, Rose, and Rosemary are all uplifting and great for easing tension. 

I know it feels like you can’t pull out of this pit. You will get there. Take some time to think about how you got here. Before you head down the road of a lifetime relying on medications, you owe it to yourself to find a better way, and I’m here to help!

The post The connection between declining hormones and depression appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

When I was young, my mother used to roll down the car window in the dead of winter and stick her head out the window. I never understood this, until I hit menopause myself.

If you’ve been experiencing hot flashes, and you’ve also been told by your doctor that your blood pressure is running on the high side, you may wonder if there is a connection between the two, or if the hot flashes are causing your high blood pressure numbers.

There is definitely an association between the two, but hot flashes don’t cause a rise in blood pressure.

Let’s understand just what the connection is.

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More than just a hot flash

A University of Hawaii study investigated the possible connection between hot flashes and hypertension.

A sample of 202 women, ages 40 to 55 years, was monitored around the clock for both hot flashes and changes in ambulatory blood pressure (blood pressure readings while doing normal, everyday activities).

The women also each kept a diary of their hot flashes and any accompanying changes in mood.

The results were interesting, and quite possibly useful to you if you are a woman in this age group.

Over a two-week period, there was no significant difference in mean blood pressure between women who reported having a hot flash any time during those two weeks, and those who did not.

However, women who experienced frequent hot flashes also had a systolic blood pressure that was significantly higher than average. “Systolic” refers to the top number of your blood pressure reading and measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart contracts.

In fact, this association was so strong that researchers could use the women’s hot flashes to predict increases in their systolic numbers.

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The role of stress

One good theory about the connection between hot flashes and higher blood pressure readings is this: both start whenever there’s an increase in activity in the sympathetic nervous system.

While the autonomic nervous system regulates the body’s unconscious actions, like breathing and digestion, the sympathetic nervous system’s job is to stimulate the fight-or-flight response.

So, it’s likely that stress is at the root of both hot flashes and high blood pressure.

It’s easy to assume that hot flashes and blood pressure are intimately linked, when in fact, they are both caused by many of the same things, including alcohol, hot water, exercise and again, stress.

Natural ways to ease hot flashes and lower blood pressure

The takeaway here is that you can control hot flashes naturally, and that, of course, there is much you can do to keep those blood pressure numbers regular.

Herbal remedies have long been used to ease hot flashes and other troubling menopausal symptoms. Here are seven herbal remedies you can try after consulting with your doctor to avoid possible interactions with medications you’re already taking.

And here’s a primer on foods and supplements that can help control your blood pressure naturally, along with other resources for you to check out.

Sources:

Are hot flashes related to blood pressure? — Women’s Health Network

Relationship Between Hot Flashes and Ambulatory Blood Pressure: The Hilo Women’s Health Study — Psychosomatic Medicine

The post Hot flashes can predict spikes in blood pressure appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That change is probably a big part of the reason why heart disease is the number one killer of women — and researchers are finally putting two and two together…

“Over the past 20 years, our knowledge of how the menopause transition might contribute to cardiovascular disease has been dramatically evolving,” said Samar R. El Khoudary, Ph.D., M.P.H., FAHA, chair of the statement writing committee and associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. “We have accumulated data consistently pointing to the menopause transition as a time of change in cardiovascular health.”

And they have a warning for us…

Monitoring women’s health and lifestyle — while integrating early intervention strategies for good cardiovascular health — are important, especially during midlife and during menopause to help prevent heart disease, according to a new Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) recently published in its flagship journal, Circulation.

Time to get serious about this change

The Scientific Statement from the AHA, titled “Menopause Transition and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Implications for Timing for Early Prevention” summarizes research focused on the use of hormone therapy provides an overview of risks related to the stages of menopause, age at menopause and lifestyle factors that affect women’s risk during this time.

Key takeaways in the statement include the following:

• Some of the common symptoms felt with menopause correlate with cardiovascular disease. Hot flashes and night sweats are associated with worse cardiovascular disease risk factor levels. Depression and sleep disturbances, linked in some studies to an increased risk of heart disease, are also common among women during this time. 
• Physiological changes during menopause, such as increased abdominal fat and visceral fat (body fat around the organs), are associated with a heightened risk of all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality, even among those with normal body mass index levels.
• Cholesterol levels, metabolic syndrome risk and vascular vulnerability appear to increase with menopause beyond the effects of normal aging. Metabolic syndrome is diagnosed when a person has three or more of the following measurements: abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol), high blood pressure and/or high blood glucose levels (blood sugar).
• Novel data show a reversal in the associations of HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) with heart disease risk over the menopause transition, suggesting higher good cholesterol levels may not consistently reflect good heart health in all stages of life in women.
• Data about the use of cholesterol-lowering medications remains limited for women going through the menopause transition and requires further study to develop evidence-based recommendations.
• Women who experience menopause at an earlier age have a higher risk of heart disease. A woman’s age at menopause can be influenced by factors such as length of menstrual cycle, poor cardiovascular risk profile during reproductive years and socioeconomic factors. Race and ethnicity also play a role, with many Hispanic and Black women experiencing menopause at younger ages.
• Physical activity and nutrition may play a role in the timing of menopause for all women. Women who drink little to moderate amounts of alcohol may have later onset of menopause, and those who smoke cigarettes are likely to start menopause about a year earlier than non-smokers.
• There is, however, limited information on what is ideal in terms of lifestyle changes (such as the AHA’s Life’s Essential 8) for women during menopause. Data indicates that only 7.2 percent of women in menopause meet physical activity guidelines, and fewer than 20 percent of them consistently maintain a healthy diet.

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Make changes now to avoid cardiovascular health changes

“Lifestyle and behavioral interventions are critical to maintaining cardiovascular health and reduce heart disease,” said Matthew A. Allison, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, vice-chair of the statement writing committee and professor and chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California San Diego.

However, most of the randomized clinical trials testing the lifestyle factors and behaviors we know to be heart-healthy were not tested specifically on women during menopause.

I don’t know about you, but until that research is underway, there certainly is no harm in working toward better heart health using what we do know to be generally helpful, starting with these…

Eat the ultimate heart-healthy diet: The traditional Mediterranean diet has been endorsed as the 2019 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease.

But A group of researchers from the U.S. and Spain has declared that the best diet for omnivores looking to prevent heart disease is a Pesco-Mediterranean diet with a dash of intermittent fasting thrown in for good measure.

Walk: Researchers analyzed data from the Women’s Health Initiative, a 14-year study that included women between 50 and 79 years old at the start.

They specifically looked at women’s walking habits, including how frequently they walked, how long they walked and how fast they walked. And here’s what they found:

• Women who walked at least twice per week reduced their heart failure risk by 20-25 percent compared to women who walked less frequently.
• Women who walked for 40 minutes or more at a time reduced their heart failure risk by 21-25 percent compared to women who walked for shorter periods.
• Women who walked at an average or fast pace reduced their heart failure risk by 26 to 38 percent.

Talk to your doctor about Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): The primary purpose of HRT is to ease symptoms during this transition, minimize the risk of developing osteoporosis, and decrease type 2 diabetes risk. And experts do agree that most healthy, recently menopausal women can safely choose to use HRT to relieve symptoms and protect their heart health.

A study confirmed that HRT with estradiol, a form of estrogen, can slow the progression of atherosclerosis. The study was based on data from the Early Versus Late Intervention Trial With Estradiol (ELITE), which compared estradiol with placebo in postmenopausal women.

Sources:

Heart disease risk in women increases leading up to menopause; early intervention is key — EurekAlert!

Leading causes of death – females  — CDC

Menopause and Heart disease — American Heart Association

The post Are you going through the “cardiovascular change”? appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It’s the reason that a woman can walk into an emergency room having a heart attack and be told she’s probably just passing a gallstone — or even worse, that it’s nothing more than an anxiety attack.

That woman may even be sent home, with zero help, where she gets to wait to see what comes next.

Yet, if a man suffering myocardial infarction steps through the door at the same time, the very same doctors will immediately recognize what’s happening so that he gets the treatment he needs to survive.

Yep, the truth is that heart disease, heart attacks, and vascular disease are all too common in women and all too commonly ignored by their doctors.

This means that if you’re a female, the ball is in your court when it comes to caring for your heart and recognizing your risk of heart problems — so that you can advocate for your health, even when your doctor won’t.

That’s why it’s so important for you to be aware of the results of a study that found menopause symptoms (or at least a certain number of them) could be a gauge for your heart health…

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Here’s how to know if you’re at increased risk of cardiovascular problems…

The research revealed that while the symptoms you experience during menopause may seem like nothing more than irritations, the truth is that they can actually be a harbinger of things to come for your heart.

In fact, the severity of menopause symptoms you may suffer along with how many, can trigger an increased risk for heart disease.

So for example, if you have severe hot flashes but no other menopausal symptoms, you may not have as much to worry about.

On the other hand, if you’re struggling with two or more moderate to severe symptoms, your risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke goes up dramatically. These symptoms can include:

• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Dizziness
• Racing heart
• Tremors
• Restlessness
• Fatigue
• Difficulty concentrating
• Forgetfulness
• Mood swings
• Vaginal dryness
• Breast tenderness
• Migraines
• Waking multiple times throughout the night

It’s quite a list, isn’t it!

And just having two at a moderate level or above is a red flashing light warning you to look out for your heart.

Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for the North American Menopause Society put it this way, “With heart disease remaining the number one killer of women, studies like this are invaluable. Healthcare providers need to be aware that menopause symptoms may be more than a benign nuisance, and women suffering from these symptoms may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.”

Of course, I would add that since our healthcare providers may or may not take that step to be aware and on the lookout for heart problems based on menopause symptoms. This means that we as women have to do it ourselves.

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Guarding your heart post-menopause

And just as importantly — if not more — I would say that if you fall into that high-risk category, of experiencing two or more menopausal symptoms, you should immediately take steps to guard your heart’s health and keep your ticker ticking.

Here’s how natural health experts and the American Heart Association recommend doing just that:

#1 — Stay active

Exercise and heart health go hand in hand. So shoot for at least 150 minutes per week of physical activity.

#2 — Watch your diet

A healthy heart requires a healthy diet. This means eating plenty of fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, fish, nuts and seeds. And it’s also about limiting sugary drinks, refined carbs and processed foods.

#3 — Think positive

Studies have found that depression post-menopause can almost double your risk of stroke. So embrace positivity, take steps to manage your stress, and enjoy activities and time with friends and loved ones to help lift your mood.

#4 — Supplement strategically

Finally, add in nutrients that support the health of your heart and blood vessels, like:

• Vitamin K2 — To boost artery-beneficial HDL, lower total cholesterol and enhance blood flow.
• Nattokinase — To promote normal smooth blood flow.
• CoQ10 — To flood your heart with the energy it needs to stand up to all of your body’s demands.
• Fish or krill oil

Although the benefits of fish oil for the heart were hotly debated for decades, that debate seems to have been settled. An in-depth review of a whopping 40 clinical studies found that the omega-3s found in fish oil reduced the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) events, the cause of 7.4 million deaths globally each year, “Reduced risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack), including fatal heart attack.”

Remember, it’s your heart so take care of it. If you have two or more moderate to severe menopausal symptoms, the red warning light is flashing.

Sources:

Could your menopause symptoms be hard on your heart? — EurekAlert!

The invisible woman? The challenge at the doctor’s office every woman needs to know about — Today

Why Doctors Still Misunderstand Heart Disease in Women — The Atlantic

Authoritative new analysis links increased omega-3 intake to cardioprotection and improved cardiovascular outcomes — EurekAlert!

How to Prevent Heart Disease After Menopause — American Heart Association

How to Eat Healthy without “Dieting” — American Heart Association

The post The heart disease triggers that start as menopause symptoms appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But experts do agree that most healthy, recently menopausal women can safely choose to use HRT to relieve symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings, dry skin, sleeplessness, irritable bladder and vaginal dryness.

However, HRT is not without its risks. Like birth control pills, both estrogen and estrogen with progestogen regimens raise the risk of blood clots in the legs and lungs, although the risk is rare in women between the ages of 50 and 59.

There is also an increased risk of developing breast cancer with 5 or more years of continuous estrogen/progestogen therapy. The risk drops as soon as HRT is stopped. In studies, the use of estrogen alone for an average of 7 years was not shown to increase breast cancer risk.

The bottom line appears to be that the use of estrogen in HRT is relatively safe for most women. And that’s good news because there’s another reason besides menopause relief that women should consider estrogen HRT…

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Estrogen therapy and your blood vessels

A new study has confirmed that HRT with estradiol, a form of estrogen, can slow the progression of atherosclerosis. The study was based on data from the Early Versus Late Intervention Trial With Estradiol (ELITE), which compared estradiol with placebo in postmenopausal women.

Most cases of cardiovascular disease center on atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory process of the blood vessels characterized by a buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances. Women’s risk of cardiovascular disease greatly increases after menopause, and cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in U.S. women.

Data from ELITE had already shown the benefits of HRT in reducing the progression of atherosclerosis in relatively younger, healthy postmenopausal women. In this new study, researchers specifically looked at the effect of HRT on 12 inflammation biomarkers in 643 postmenopausal women involved in ELITE.

The analysis confirmed that HRT significantly reduced the circulating concentrations of several key biomarkers. Women who were less than 6 years into menopause showed the greatest anti-inflammatory benefits from estradiol compared with women more than 10 years after menopause.

“This study helps us better understand the potential physiologic mechanisms that could explain why hormone therapy slows the progression of heart disease early after menopause, but not in women more distant from the menopause transition,” says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS). “Additional research is needed to more fully understand how time since menopause alters the impact of hormone therapy on heart disease risk.”

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Other benefits of HRT

This is not the first study to note HRT’s heart health benefits. A study published in 2017 observed that HRT lowered coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores in a large cohort of postmenopausal women and that it was associated with lower mortality from all causes. High levels of CAC can indicate there’s a buildup of plaque in the arteries.

In addition, research has demonstrated that estrogen HRT increases HDL cholesterol, the “good” kind of cholesterol, and decreases LDL cholesterol, the “bad” kind that can lead to atherosclerosis. Estrogen HRT also has been connected with increased elasticity of the blood vessels, which allows for better blood flow throughout the body.

Some other benefits of HRT include a lower risk of osteoporosis and fractures and decreased incidence of colon cancer. Estrogen has long been used for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis because of its ability to preserve bone mineral density (BMD) at all skeletal sites. And a study found that oral HRT use was connected with a 63 percent reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer in postmenopausal women after adjustment for other known risk factors.

If you’re a woman in menopause and have no risk factors, you can obtain a prescription for estrogen HRT from your doctor. Or you can raise your estrogen levels through more natural means…

Natural sources of estrogen

Studies indicate that eating plant-based foods rich in phytoestrogens may help women raise their estrogen levels. Try adding the following foods to your diet:

• Seeds such as flaxseeds and sesame seeds
• Fresh and dried fruits like apricots, oranges, strawberries and peaches
• Vegetables such as yams, carrots, alfalfa sprouts, kale and celery; soybeans and soy products
• Legumes like lentils, peas and pinto beans
• Chickpeas
• Olives and olive oil
• Dark rye bread
• Herbs like turmeric, sage and thyme

Try to maintain optimum levels of vitamins B and D, both of which play a role in estrogen creation and activation. And consider taking herbal supplements like black cohosh, which may stimulate estrogen receptors; red clover, which contains isoflavones that may act like estrogen in the body; and the traditional Chinese medicine dong quai, which contains two compounds that exhibit estrogenic activity.

Sources:

How Hormone Therapy Slows Progression of Atherosclerosis — North American Menopause Society

The Experts Do Agree About Hormone Therapy — North American Menopause Society

Hormone replacement therapy is associated with less coronary atherosclerosis and lower mortality — Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Coronary Calcium Score and Cardiovascular Risk — American College of Cardiology

Estrogen & Hormones — Cleveland Clinic

Hormone replacement therapy and the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis — Przeglad Menopauzalny

Foods that May Help Boost Your Estrogen and Testosterone Levels — MDVIP

12 Natural Ways to Boost Estrogen in Your Body — Healthline

The post What women should know about the estrogen-atherosclerosis connection appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Sure, those factors put your liver in a much more precarious position, but anyone can develop liver disease. In fact, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) — a type of liver disease that occurs in people who drink little to no alcohol — is very common.

It impacts one in four people worldwide and is the most common cause of liver damage. As you may know, liver damage can lead to liver cancer or liver failure, both of which can be deadly.

There are a lot of well-known risk factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, sleep apnea, hypothyroidism. But there’s a new, surprising risk factor for NAFLD that research has just uncovered… menopause.

A recent research review shows that postmenopausal women are much more likely to develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease than premenopausal women. Why? It all comes down to hormones…

Hormonal changes after menopause take a toll on the liver

Researchers from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) just performed a research review on the connection between menopause and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. In their review, they looked at more than 60 studies, and here’s what they found…

After women go through menopause, they have a much higher risk of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease thanks to an endocrine hormone called estradiol (E2).

Now, E2 is the major female sex hormone. It regulates the estrous and menstrual female reproductive cycles. It’s produced in the ovaries, but it’s production tanks after menopause. And that’s where the liver risks come into play, according to researchers.

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They say that E2 has a protective effect on the liver. Without enough, the liver is more prone to take on too much fat. This excess fat is toxic to liver cells and can cause inflammation in the liver or even scarring.

In fact, based on the rising mortality rate for women with NAFLD, and the fact that more women with NAFLD are dying from cirrhosis, researchers suspect that NAFLD is turning into an even more dangerous liver condition in many women — nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Once liver inflammation and liver cell damage occur, NAFLD is recategorized as NASH. And NASH is much more serious. It’s now the leading indicator for a liver transplant.

How to protect your liver post-menopause

Here’s the good news…

Even though you can’t control the fact that you’ve already gone through, or will eventually go through, menopause (if you’re a woman, anyway), you can strongly influence other risk factors for NAFLD like your weight, cholesterol, blood sugar and insulin levels. Eating a healthy diet comprised mostly of whole foods and exercising regularly can go a long way toward protecting women from liver disease after menopause.

Researchers also believe hormone replacement therapy (HRT) could be a method of lowering post-menopausal liver disease risk down the line. Of course, there needs to be more research to know for sure what timing, dosage and duration of hormone therapy would work to counteract liver disease risk. And there’s also the fact that HRT comes with its own set of risks.

For now, do everything you can to give your liver the support it needs to stay healthy. You may even want to consider supplements that support a healthy liver, like N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), milk thistle, turmeric and alpha lipoic acid (ALA). And even though alcohol and medications aren’t the driving factors behind NAFLD, they do add extra stress to your liver. So, think carefully before you pour that glass of wine or start a new prescription.

Sources:

1. TGen review suggests postmenopausal women at risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease — EurekAlert!
2. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease — Mayo Clinic.

The post Why menopause may put you at risk for liver damage appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Dr. Lisa Mosconi has been studying human brains, both male and female, for 20 years, and she answers this question with a resounding “No!”

The gendered brain is an invention that “has nothing to do with the way our brains are built.”

That being said, Dr. Mosconi asserts that there are neurochemical differences between the male and female brains that matter a lot in terms of women’s health.

Not surprisingly, these chemical differences are due in large part to sex hormones and can become especially apparent when a woman enters menopause.

Dr. Mosconi is an Associate Professor of Neuroscience in Neurology and Radiology at Weill Cornell Medical College/New York Presbyterian Hospital.

In her December 2019 TED Talk, she explained these important differences and what women can do to protect their brains through menopause and well into their senior years.

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Why more women get Alzheimer’s

Of the 6 million people in the United States diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, two-thirds of them are women.

Dr. Mosconi says that women’s brains age differently than men’s because of estrogen. More specifically, the lack of estrogen that comes with menopause.

At menopause, estrogen levels drop rapidly.

Why does this drop have such an impact on our brains? Isn’t estrogen a reproductive hormone?

Dr. Mosconi says that, as part of the neuroendocrine system, a woman’s brain and her ovaries “talk” to each other throughout her life, but never more than during menopause.

Most people think that menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, memory loss, depression and anxiety start in the ovaries, when in fact they are neurological symptoms that start in the brain.

Estradiol is the strongest of three estrogen hormones produced by the body. It is a key player in energy production for the brain. It causes neurons to attract glucose to make energy for the brain.

High estrogen means high brain energy. When estradiol declines, however, neurons start slowing down and aging more quickly.

This can even lead to the formation of amyloid plaques, the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

3 brain regions affected that cause menopausal symptoms

Three brain regions in particular are most affected by changing estrogen levels.

The hypothalamus, where brain aging is fastest, controls body temperature. Thus, when there isn’t enough estrogen to activate the hypothalamus correctly, the brain can’t regulate body temperature, resulting in those famous hot flashes.

The brain stem is in charge of sleeping and waking. When estrogen doesn’t activate it correctly, you have trouble sleeping.

And when the amygdala, the brain’s memory center, isn’t activated by estrogen, the result is mood swings and forgetting things.

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One thing most women don’t know is that having a hysterectomy or oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries) correlates with a higher risk of dementia.

That’s not to say you should refuse these procedures if they’re medically necessary, but knowing this correlation can help you weigh the pros and cons.

Research has shown that Alzheimer’s starts with changes in the brain years or decades before clinical symptoms. For women, this can start in menopause. Women’s brains can increase as much as 20 percent in amyloid plaques.

But this is a risk factor, not a diagnosis. Not all women develop plaques in menopause, and not all women with plaques develop dementia.

How to protect your brain during menopause

Two things you can control that can protect your brain are your diet and your stress level.

Studies show that women who eat a Mediterranean-style diet have lower rates of cognitive decline, depression, heart disease, stroke and cancer and fewer hot flashes.

The phytoestrogens in flax and sesame seeds, dried apricots, chickpeas, melons, berries, legumes and whole grains can make up for that menopausal drop in estrogen. And guess what else has phytoestrogens? Dark chocolate!

Stress literally steals estrogens. As cortisol (your stress hormone) goes up, estrogen goes down. The two work in a delicate balance.

Here, Dr. Isaac Eliaz offers 6 ways to put stress in its place.

“Changing the way we understand the female brain changes the way we care for it and the way we frame women’s health,” says Dr. Mosconi.

“The more women demand this information, the sooner we’ll be able to break the taboos around menopause and also come up with solutions that actually work, not just for Alzheimer’s disease, but for women’s brain health as a whole. Brain health is women’s health.”

Sources:

1. How menopause affects the brain — TED
2. The Women’s Brain Initiative — Weill Cornell Medicin

The post Menopause, brain energy and the Alzheimer’s connection women need to know more about appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Because during menopause, your body’s production of the hormone estrogen drops dramatically… and estrogen plays an important role in protecting bones.

More specifically, estrogen encourages the activity of osteoblasts (cells that create bone). Without enough estrogen, these cells don’t create bone as effectively. As a result, menopausal women are prone to severe bone loss (also known as osteoporosis) which puts them at risk for bone breaks and fractures.

The good news is there are a lot of ways to preserve your bone mass during menopause. The bad news is one of the most popular methods of maintaining bone mass doesn’t seem to work for menopausal women…

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Dairy products don’t improve bone density for menopausal women

Dairy products contain more than 12 nutrients that promote healthy bones, including calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D and protein. So, it’s no wonder that they’re one of the top food groups recommended for women going through menopause.

But according to a new study published in the North American Menopause Society’s journal Menopause, dairy products don’t do a dang thing to protect the bones of menopausal women…

In the study, researchers looked at the impact of dairy intake on the mineral density of the femoral and spine bone of 3,302 women. To do that, they examined a food frequency questionnaire that gauged daily dairy intake. They also tracked bone mineral density in the femoral and spine bone over a 10-year period. Here’s what they determined…

Women who ate more dairy didn’t have better bone density. In fact, there was no difference between women who ate a lot of dairy and women who ate very little. Women who ate a lot of dairy products also weren’t any less likely to get fractures.

Considering the number of bone-boosting nutrients in dairy products, this outcome is surprising to say the least. And it’s important to mention that it does stand in contrast to other research that shows dairy does make a difference for menopausal women, including one 2017 study that found dairy and animal protein consumption did improve bone density in 750 post-menopausal women.

How to keep your bones strong during menopause and beyond

So, if consuming dairy isn’t a surefire way to maintain your bone density during menopause, what should you do?

Well, eating a Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce bone loss in people with osteoporosis as well as in premenopausal women. Just in case you don’t know, the Mediterranean diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, lean protein such as fish and moderate amounts of dairy.

Could it be because foods recommended in the Mediterranean diet are higher in vitamin K content (good sources are green leafy vegetables, nuts and healthy fats, like from olive oil and fatty fish)? A study in 2013 found taking 180 mcg daily of vitamin K (specifically vitamin K2 supplements of the type menaquinone-7 or MK-7) helped reduce bone loss in healthy women who had been through menopause.

Doing weight-bearing exercise daily is also a great way to maintain bone mass during menopause and beyond. That includes activities like walking or jogging. Yoga and tai chi are also great forms of exercise to practice during your menopausal years (and throughout your life, really) because they improve your balance, which could help keep you from falling and experiencing a fracture or a break.

So, even though dairy may not be the bone savior you thought it was when you were younger, you can still turn to a few old standbys — healthy eating and exercise — to keep your bones strong and healthy in the years to come.

Sources:

1. Dairy consumption ineffective in preventing age-related bone loss or fractures — EurekAlert!
2. Dairy Intake Is Not Associated With Improvements in Bone Mineral Density or Risk of Fractures Across the Menopause Transition: Data From the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation — Menopause.
3. Aging and bone loss: new insights for the clinician — Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease.
4. Osteoporosis: What You Need to Know as You Age — Johns Hopkins Medicine.
5. Estrogen Replacement Therapy for Osteoporosis — EndocrineWeb.
6. What Women Need to Know — National Osteoporosis Foundation.
7. Daily Dairy Doesn’t Improve Bone Strength in Midlife Women — Medscape.
8. How a Mediterranean diet could reduce bone loss in osteoporosis — ScienceDaily.
9. Menopause Diet: How What You Eat Affects Your Symptoms — Healthline.
10. Peripheral Skeleton Bone Strength Is Positively Correlated With Total and Dairy Protein Intakes in Healthy Postmenopausal Women — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
11. Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet and Bone Mineral Density in Spanish Premenopausal Women — Nutrients.

The post Why dairy doesn’t do your body (or bones) good during menopause appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

For the first time, I understood what had been happening when, on car trips in mid-winter, my mom kept demanding that my dad roll down her window. I sat behind her shivering in the cold wind.

Unlike many women I knew in the same predicament, I never considered hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to ease my sweats and hot flashes.

With all the research linking HRT with breast cancer, and given my mom’s history of the disease, I figured I’d just sweat it out.

At the time, I knew nothing about dietary supplements that could have helped me.

And now, there’s even more good news…

After concerns about its possible interactions with common medications, hops, a particularly effective supplement for menopausal symptoms, has been given the all-clear…

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Hormonal changes that come with menopause

Many of the bothersome symptoms women experience during menopause… night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal dryness and sleep problems… can be traced back to a drop in two female hormones: luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).

These two hormones are responsible for regulating women’s levels of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.

Also, as menopause begins, there is a natural drop in estrogen levels.

Together, these hormonal changes result in the hot flashes, night sweats, fluctuating moods and insomnia that menopause is famous for.

But not all women are good candidates for hormone replacement, which increases the risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease.

There are natural alternatives, but some come with concerns of their own.

Such was the case with dietary supplements whose base was a common plant. But now, research has put those concerns to rest.

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Hops: not just for making beer

New research from Oregon State University’s Linus Pauling Institute and College of Pharmacy shows that the hop-based dietary supplements many women use to ease night sweats and hot flashes are not likely to cause any drug interactions, as was once feared.

Hops are the flowers of the hop plant and are what give beer its bitter flavor. Supplements made from hops can be effective for easing menopausal symptoms because hops contain phytoestrogens, plant-based compounds that mimic the action of female sex hormones.

Previous lab studies suggested that compounds from hops may inhibit the action of certain enzymes that metabolize commonly used drugs.

In other words, there were concerns that hops could interfere with other drugs, specifically: caffeine, Xanax (an anti-anxiety drug), dextromethorphan (an over-the-counter cough suppressant) and tolbutamide (used to treat type 2 diabetes).

Their subjects were 16 women who took each drug twice… once after taking a hops extract twice daily for two weeks.

“We did each drug trial twice. Once to see how these women metabolized the drugs normally,” lead investigator Richard van Breemen explained. “Then we repeated the trial with hops after the participants took a hops extract twice daily for two weeks. Thankfully, no enzyme inhibition was detected.”

That’s great news for women who prefer a more natural approach to dealing with those problematic menopausal symptoms.

Hops is available in supplement form, but for personalized menopausal therapy using hops or other herbs with a reputation for menopause benefits, you might consider seeing a naturopathic physician.

Sources:

1. Good news for menopausal women taking hop supplements: Tests show no drug interactions — Oregon State University
2. Effects of Menopause on the Body — Healthline

The post One more reason to use hops for menopause relief appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Menopause is the transition from a woman’s fertile years to the next stage in her life. It can be fraught with physical symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, bloating, weight gain, insomnia, fatigue, depression, and mood swings.

Of course, not every woman will experience all these symptoms, but for those who do, menopause can become a very difficult time of life, when things just aren’t “normal” anymore.

Most of the above menopause symptoms can be attributed to the drop in the female hormone estrogen. The loss of estrogen that accompanies menopause can also lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.

Many women opt for bio-identical hormone replacement therapy as a solution. It is safer than taking oral estrogen and can reduce menopause symptoms, as well as strengthen the heart and bones.

But if you’re not a good candidate for hormone replacement, you’ll be glad to know that research into more natural approaches is ongoing.

An interesting cultural comparison

A lot of the symptoms mentioned above are a result of the dramatic change in estrogen level that occurs at menopause.

But what if your diet could make this change less dramatic?

A fascinating cross-cultural study seems to have answered that question.

When the ovaries stop producing estrogen at menopause, women who have been on high-fat diets, heavy on animal protein or dairy, have a dramatic drop in estrogen levels.

On the other hand, those who have eaten a more plant-based diet experience milder symptoms or none at all.

A medical anthropologist from the University of California interviewed Greek and Mayan women about their experience of menopause.

About 75 percent of the Greek women had hot flashes, but they considered them a normal part of life, rather than a problem or something exceptional.

But unlike American and Greek women, Mayan women do not experience hot flashes. In fact, they have no word for them at all!

The Mayan diet is extremely low in animal products. A Mayan woman’s diet consists of corn, beans, tomatoes, squash and other vegetables, and no dairy products.

The Greek diet, while rich in vegetables and legumes, also contains meat, fish, cheese, and dairy products like yogurt.

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Fruits and veggies to the rescue

You’ve heard the saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” right?

Based on a new study published in the journal Menopause, it’s entirely possible that “an apple a day helps keep menopause symptoms away.”

And it’s not just apples we’re talking about, either.

Prior research has established that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help temper menopause symptoms.

A Mediterranean-style diet, which leans heavily on fruits and vegetables, has been found to ease symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats (you just may need to leave the cheese and yogurt off the table).

Many of the foods on this diet are high in phytoestrogens (natural plant compounds that may mimic the action of estrogen produced by the human body).

But the newest study took things a step further by examining specific fruits and vegetables as well as other foods and their effects on various menopause symptoms.

While women who ate a mostly vegetable and fruit diet were found to experience fewer menopause symptoms, women whose diets were heavier in food such as mayonnaise, liquid oils, sweets, desserts, solid fats, and snacks weren’t so lucky.

And they found that even a couple of fruits and veggies could be problematic: A few had an adverse effect on urogenital problems that kick up during menopause, including citrus fruits, green leafy and dark yellow vegetables.

The conclusion? Eat lots more fruits and vegetables, just much less citrus fruit, green leafy and dark yellow vegetables if you find yourself doing a mad dash to the restroom often — or fearful of a sneeze.

Other foods to avoid

If you’re looking to minimize the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause, there are other groups of foods you should avoid as well. Not surprisingly, they’re foods that are harmful to your body in other ways, too.

Added sugars and processed carbs. High blood sugar, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome have been linked to a higher incidence of hot flashes in menopausal women.

Caffeine and alcohol. The jury is still out on whether caffeine makes hot flashes worse or better. It may vary from woman to woman.

But we do know that both caffeine and alcohol are sleep disruptors, so if you have trouble falling asleep, definitely avoid these during the afternoon and evening.

High-salt foods.  High salt intake has been linked to lower bone density in postmenopausal women.

Also, the drop in estrogen that comes with menopause increases your risk of high blood pressure, and adding a high-salt diet to that will only make hypertension more likely.

Sources:

1. An apple a day might help keep bothersome menopause symptoms away — EurekAlert
2. Dietary patterns and their association with menopausal symptoms — Menopause
3. A Natural Approach to Menopause — Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
4. Cultural significance and physiological manifestations of menopause. A biocultural analysis — Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry
5. Menopause Diet: How What You Eat Affects Your Symptoms — Healthline
6. Vasomotor symptoms and insulin resistance in the study of women’s health across the nation — The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
7. The Fruit That Fights Breast Cancer — Easy Health Options®

The post How food choices can make your menopause symptoms better or worse appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

In fact, regular sex goes hand-in-hand with a lengthy list of health benefits, including:

• A better immune system
• A lower risk of heart attack
• Better brain health
• Lower blood pressure
• Reduced pain
• Improved sleep

And, much, much more…

A healthy sex life can even help you look younger.

Yup, you read that right — studies have shown that people who have sex at least 4 times per week with a regular partner look 7 to 12 years younger than they actually are!

Now, if that’s not a reason to have more sex, I don’t know what is.

And now, a brand new study from researchers at University College London is giving us women one more reason to enjoy our sex lives more often…

Delaying menopause.

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Can you really delay menopause?

The study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, involved more than 3,000 women in their 40s and 50s. And, the researchers combed through more than a decade’s worth of data.

Here’s what it came down to…

The more you have sex, the less likely you are to go into menopause.

In fact, the results showed that women who have sex at least once a week are 28 percent less likely to experience menopause when compared to women who have sex less than once a month.

And, there’s more…

Even if you fall into the once-a-month category, you still reap significant benefits since monthly sex comes with a 19 percent lower likelihood of experiencing menopause compared to sex less than once a month.

This means that simply spending more time in the bedroom (or wherever you prefer to enjoy yourself) could keep you out of menopause longer.

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Why your sex life affects menopause

But, how does it work? How does having more sex delay menopause?

Well, according to the researchers, the link may be that if you’re having sex, your body is willing to put energy into ovulation, which keeps menopause further down the road.

“The findings of our study suggest that if a woman is not having sex, and there is no chance of pregnancy, then the body ‘chooses’ not to invest in ovulation, as it would be pointless,” said Megan Arnot, a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology at University College London and lead author of the study.

Of course, we all know that getting pregnant isn’t the only reason to have sex — not by a long shot. But, biologically speaking, it seems to matter when it comes to menopause. So, the likelihood of getting pregnant and whether your body continues ovulating might just go hand-in-hand.

That means if you are still pre-menopausal and want to stave off those hormone changes just a bit longer, you now have one more reason to spend more quality time enjoying your sex life.

And, remember, sex doesn’t have to stop at menopause or even later. To discover five ways to bring sexy back no matter what your age, check out Who says sex stops at 65? by my colleague, Margaret Cantwell.

Sources:

1. Having More Sex Can Delay Menopause, Study Finds — Best Life
2. The Surprising Health Benefits of Sex — OnHealth
3. Sexual frequency is associated with age of natural menopause: results from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation — Royal Society Open Science

The post Why sex can delay menopause appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

The beginnings of menopause and perimenopause bring a lot of changes.

Yup, I’ve officially hit that up-to-10-year time frame where the role my hormones play in my body will take on a life of their own.

If you’ve already experienced “the change”, either at its beginning or have made your way into menopause full force, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

That’s because, along with wildly fluctuating hormones, for we women, our 40s and 50s go hand-in-hand with everything from mood swings and hot flashes to night sweats, problems sleeping and yes — weight gain.

Ugh!

And, to top it off, many of us also get the added bonus of problems in the bedroom that can start in our perimenopause years and stick with us from then on.

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A less satisfying sex life

According to a new study published recently in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS), the chances of sexual dysfunction increase by nearly 30 percent during perimenopause.

That’s right…

Not only do your changing hormones make you feel like you’re on a roller coaster ride of emotions through a tropical heatwave while you gain weight despite not changing your diet one iota, but they can also steal the satisfying sex life you used to experience.

Why?

Well, past studies have shown that as your estrogen levels fall during the menopause transition, a massive number of biological changes happen simultaneously in your body. And, unfortunately, these changes lead to vaginal atrophy.

In other words, the walls of your vagina begin to thin, dry out, and become inflamed.

But, despite the results of this previous research, no one knew where these changes really started until now…

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Lubrication and sexual function

Thanks to the NAMS study, we now know that the majority of sexual problems we experience in the menopause journey begin with vaginal dryness.

In fact, the study showed that of all the issues brought on by the menopause transition, vaginal dryness most often has the most significant effect on desire, arousal, lubrication, and overall satisfaction when it comes to sex.

And although it may sound strange, according to the researchers, this is good news…

That’s because vaginal dryness is what they call “eminently treatable”.

In other words, a lack of vaginal lubrication is something pretty easy to overcome. Once you do that, it can help you maintain your sexual function and a healthy, enjoyable sex life throughout menopause.

Options for overcoming vaginal dryness

So, how do you increase the level of moisture in your vaginal tract despite your falling estrogen levels?

Well, you have a number of good options — including prescription, over-the-counter, and thoroughly natural, depending on your preferences.

1. Estrogen replacement

Your first option is to use vaginal estrogen therapy to replace the estrogen your body no longer makes to relieve dryness. This estrogen can come in the form of rings, creams, or tablets that you simply place inside your vagina daily.

Of course, since it is a prescription and hormone replacement therapy, there are possible side effects to be aware of, such as:

• Vaginal itching, stinging, or redness
• Vaginal discharge
• Breast pain or enlargement
• Headaches
• Bloating

So, if those don’t sound like something you want to risk, one of the more natural choices below might be a better way to go for you.

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2. Personal lubricants

You can also simply use any of the over-the-counter lubricant options before sexual intercourse to relieve the dryness that can make sex less enjoyable.

This won’t necessarily provide long-lasting relief, but every little bit helps — especially if you combine it with #3 below.

3. Vaginal moisturizers

By the time we hit perimenopause or menopause, most of us already spend lots of time and money on creams, serums, and masks to keep our skin hydrated. So, why don’t we do the same for our vaginas, which also dry as we age?

The answer is that we should!

There are plenty of daily vaginal moisturizers out there to choose from. In fact, many of them use the same type of ingredients you’ll find in your facial creams — such as hyaluronic acid, which holds 1,000 times its weight in water for enhanced hydration.

And, there’s good news…

A study reported in Harvard Health found that a vaginal lubricant was just as effective as estrogen therapy at relieving vaginal dryness — making going natural a no-brainer.

Perimenopause and menopause may bring about hormonal changes that make sexual dysfunction more likely as we age — but it’s not a foregone conclusion.

There are things you can do, like keeping your vagina hydrated to prevent atrophy, that can preserve your sexual function and your satisfying sex life no matter your age or hormone status.

Sources:

1. Perimenopause often signals beginning of sexual dysfunction — EurekAlert!
2. Estrace Vaginal Cream — RxList
3. Estrogen (Vaginal Route) — Mayo Clinic
4. What is Hyaluronic Acid — dermHA
5. Don’t ignore vaginal dryness and pain — Harvard Health

The post 3 ways to keep menopause from stealing your sex life appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That’s because over a decade ago, something troubling became apparent — that menopausal hormone therapy, including estrogen and progesterone, could substantially increase women’s risk of developing breast cancer as well as other conditions like blood clots, gallstones, and incontinence.

So, while it does come with some benefits, like controlling hot flashes and slowing bone loss, many women question if it’s worth theses risk.

Related: 6 menopause symptoms you can treat with acupuncture

Now, according to a new landmark meta-analysis, which looked at a whopping 58 separate scientific studies involving more than 100,000 women, it’s been discovered that the risk is even greater than previously thought and has been dramatically underrepresented.

If you’re taking hormone replacement therapy or considering it to help with your menopausal symptoms, it’s important to know the truth…

Double what previously thought

The research, published in The Lancet, looked at the three main types of menopausal hormone therapy or (MHT) – estrogen only, estrogen plus progesterone daily, and estrogen plus intermittent progesterone.

And, here’s what the research team found…

While 63 in 1,000 women who have never taken MHT will develop breast cancer (a 6.3 percent risk):

• For those taking estrogen plus daily progesterone, 83 in 1,000 will end up with cancer. This translates to an increased risk of one woman in every 50 on the hormone therapy.
• For estrogen with intermittent progesterone, 77 per 1,000 will develop breast cancer – or one in every 70 on the therapy.
• For estrogen alone (a seldom-used strategy unless post-hysterectomy) 69 out of 1,000 will be diagnosed with breast cancer. This translates to one in every 200 on the therapy.

Now, overall those numbers might not seem like a huge difference, but according to the researchers, it shows that the risk of breast cancer due to menopausal hormonal therapy is twice what was previously thought!

Risks persist years later

And, stopping the therapy doesn’t necessarily save you…

In fact, the team found that once you stop taking the hormones, some of the risks persist for up to a decade.

Here’s something else to be aware of…

According to the scientists, many doctors believe that taking the drugs for only a short amount of time (two to five years) is safe. But the study proved that to be completely false and your risk of breast cancer is just as high.

Related: 3 ways to avoid menopause’s disease dangers

They say that your risks seem to start at one year and go up exponentially after that with it doubling at the 10-year mark compared to five years.

And, they say that although the study wasn’t able to prove a causal relationship, just an indisputable link, if the findings are causal, hormone therapy is responsible for one million of the 20 million breast cancer deaths in developed countries in the past 30 years.

So, if you want to avoid breast cancer, it’s important to know the risks of hormone replacement therapy and take the advice of Dr. Otis Brawley, a professor of oncology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, who says this, “For 18 years now I have been trying to convince women that they don’t want to start postmenopausal estrogens, and I’ve been encouraging women who have hot flashes to try to resolve those hot flashes through other medical means.”

Sources:

1. Breast cancer risk from menopausal hormone therapy is larger than once thought, study finds — MinnPost

The post Hormone therapy and breast cancer link worse than thought appeared first on Easy Health Options®.