In fact, if you’ve suffered from a myocardial infarction, your doctor has probably warned you that not taking these medications could increase your risk of a second heart attack.

There’s a problem, though…

Not only can taking beta-blockers lead to side effects like fatigue, low heart rate and sexual dysfunction, but study after study has demonstrated the medications may be both ineffective and dangerous.

A 2017 study found that taking beta-blockers following a heart attack, in which heart function was retained, made no statistical difference in the risk of a secondary heart attack.

Worse, additional research in 2020 determined that taking beta-blockers actually increased the risk of heart failure in women.

So what was done with those findings?

Not much. Beta-blockers continued to be recommended because skeptics believed the studies weren’t definitive enough!

But now, the jury is in, and the news is not good…

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Massive trial provides definitive answer on beta-blockers

This breakthrough discovery was made during the “REBOOT Trial,” a massive study that enrolled over 8,500 patients across 109 hospitals, and followed patients who either did or did not take beta blockers after a heart attack with regular heart function.

Sure enough, the results showed no significant differences between the two groups in rates of death, recurrent heart attack, or hospitalization for heart failure.

But the most disturbing finding came from a substudy of the REBOOT Trial…

That data confirmed that women treated with beta blockers had a higher risk of death, heart attack, or hospitalization for heart failure compared to women not receiving the drug.

In other words, not only did beta-blockers not prevent a second heart attack in women, they made the chances of another heart attack (or heart-related issue or death) more likely.

The results of the study were so significant that the investigators believe they will reshape the current treatment protocol for post-heart attack patients.

“REBOOT will change clinical practice worldwide. Currently, more than 80 percent of patients with uncomplicated myocardial infarction are discharged on beta blockers. The REBOOT findings represent one of the most significant advances in heart attack treatment in decades,” says Principal Investigator Borja Ibáñez.

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Choosing what’s right for your heart

If you’re currently taking beta-blockers, don’t stop them cold turkey without talking to your doctor first.

But how can you avoid a second heart attack?

Maintaining healthy arteries is vital to avoiding a second heart attack — and choosing the right diet is one of the best things you can do on your own towards that goal.

Ditch the typical American diet, which sets you up for heart trouble. It’s an obesogenic diet — basically a high-fat diet with lots of omega-6 fatty acids, and according to previous research, it promotes an inflammatory environment that contributes to heart attack by:

• Damaging blood vessels
• Promoting the buildup and destabilization of plaque
• Triggering blood clots
• And reducing blood flow to the heart

An obesogenic diet also prevents cells known as leukocytes from performing a crucial function: repairing the heart after a heart attack and protecting it from future damage.

If you’ve suffered a heart attack and want to avoid another, your diet should contain lots more omega-3s and much fewer omega-6s. Here’s a link to four diets Harvard recommends to lower the long-term risk of cardiovascular disease.

In addition to those four, spirulina is a supplement that promotes a healthier heart in three ways: reducing free radical damage that can lead to inflammation, and supporting healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Don’t forget the importance of exercise. Following a heart attack, get your doctor’s permission, but even in heart failure, exercise can help turn the heart’s health around.

Sources:

Common heart drug taken by millions found useless, possibly risky — Science Daily

Heart attack survivors: 5 tips to support your heart health goals — American Heart Association

The post Common drug increases women’s risk for second heart attack appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

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®.

Women often face dramatically higher risks for certain health dangers, and even very different symptoms for conditions that men may also suffer from, leading to confusion over diagnoses and treatment, and poorer outcomes.

It’s a phenomenon that has been most recognized in women’s heart health. However, the female brain also faces unique risks…

For decades, researchers have been trying to identify the exact reasons why two-thirds of people who develop Alzheimer’s are women.

Along the way, they’ve found that…

• Changes in a female hormone, known as follicle-stimulating hormone (or FSH), during menopause contribute to brain changes associated with memory loss and other Alzheimer’s symptoms.
• The loss of estrogen with age reduces energy to the brain and can cause it to age more quickly, leading to the formation of amyloid plaques, the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Women with increased numbers of large particle HDL (even though it’s known as ‘good cholesterol’) run a higher risk of developing dementia.

But there’s more…

According to scientists from King’s College London and Queen Mary University London, a startling omega-3 deficiency may explain women’s Alzheimer’s risk — another risk factor that men do not share.

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A noticeable loss of essential fatty acids

For their research, the scientists analyzed blood samples and measured brain inflammation and brain damage in 841 participants, divided into three groups: those with Alzheimer’s disease, those with mild cognitive impairment, and cognitively healthy individuals.

They then focused on the lipid (fat) content in the blood to determine the balance of unhealthy, saturated fats to healthy, unsaturated lipids (omega-3 essential fatty acids).

According to senior study author Dr. Cristina Legido-Quigley, “Women are disproportionately impacted by Alzheimer’s disease and are more often diagnosed with the disease than men after the age of 80. One of the most surprising things we saw when looking at the different sexes was that there was no difference in these lipids in healthy and cognitively impaired men, but for women, this picture was completely different.”

In fact, the scientists say that not only did women with Alzheimer’s show a steep increase in harmful lipids, they also experienced a sharp loss of healthy omega fatty acids.

The researchers believe this marked drop in protective omega fats found in female patients could explain why women are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia more often than men.

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Feed your brain what it needs

The good news is that, despite the increased risks women face regarding cognitive decline, this provides a good starting point for reducing those risks…

As Dr. Legido-Quigley points out, “Our study suggests that women should make sure they are getting omega fatty acids in their diet — through fatty fish or via supplements.”

The Mediterranean-style diet focuses on fatty fish, olive oil, lean meats and plenty of fresh fruits and veggies. This type of diet has been shown to reduce cognitive decline.

But for brain-saving omega-3 benefits, past research has shown that dosage matters. That’s because only a small percentage of the omega-3s, specifically DHA and EPA, reach your brain from the bloodstream. And if you’re a carrier of the Alzheimer’s gene APOE4, even less makes it to the brain.

Aim for at least 2 grams daily, and that can be as a combination of fish oil supplements and fish in the diet a couple of times a week. The FDA says that you can safely take up to 3 grams of omega-3 supplements containing EPA and DHA per day. 

However, many people who start supplementing with fish oil stop for reasons that include indigestion and fish burps. I found a way around that by taking krill oil supplements instead. It’s a cleaner source of omega-3s and sits much better on your stomach.

Krill is also rich in astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant that challenges aging by protecting against oxidative stress and the inflammation that’s considered the root of disease, from Alzheimer’s to heart disease.

If you are on blood thinners, talk to your physician before adding fish oil or krill oil supplements to your daily routine.

Sources:

A startling omega-3 deficiency may explain women’s Alzheimer’s risk – ScienceDaily

The post The startling deficiency behind Alzheimer’s in women 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®.

That’s because estrogen is more than a female hormone. It affects factors that regulate vascular wall elasticity, impacting blood pressure and circulation.

Without it, blood vessels begin to constrict, making it easier for cholesterol (which increases due to menopause) to build up on artery walls.

This makes it even more important for women in midlife to protect their heart health by following Life’s Essential 8 (LE8), a series of steps recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) for lowering the odds of heart disease. These steps are as follows:

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

But research has discovered that one of these, in particular, is a ticking time bomb for women’s heart health — and death risk overall…

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One of the essential 8 stood out

The researchers analyzed health data collected from about 3,000 women who participated in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), which began in 1996. They compared the women’s LE8 scores at baseline, which was around age 46, to their evolving health trajectories over time.

They took into account subclinical measures, such as increased carotid artery thickness; cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes; and mortality from all causes. They also examined the impacts of each of the individual LE8 components.

Their analysis found that four factors were responsible for driving the increased risk for cardiovascular disease in menopausal women. They included: blood glucose, blood pressure, sleep quality and nicotine use.

But above all, sleep emerged as a significant potential predictor of cardiovascular disease events and all-cause mortality.

In other words, meeting the bar for healthy sleep may contribute to women’s heart health and longevity by lowering their cardiovascular risks. LE8 defines healthy sleep as an average of seven to nine hours a night.

This hypothesis should be tested in a future clinical trial, says Ziyuan Wang, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health and first author of the study.

“Previously, we’ve shown that the menopause transition is a time of accelerating cardiovascular risk,” says senior author Dr. Samar R. El Khoudary, a professor of epidemiology at Pitt Public Health. “This study underscores that it’s also an opportunity for women to take the reins on their heart health.”

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Boosting your Life’s Essential 8 score

In other findings, low total LE8 scores were associated with increased cardiovascular risk. And the study uncovered a worrying statistic: only 1 in 5 of the participants had optimal LE8 scores.

“With heart disease being the leading cause of death in women, these findings point to the need for lifestyle and medical interventions to improve heart health during and after menopause among midlife women,” El Khoudary says.

How can you improve your score?

Start with improving your sleep since it’s such a critical factor. Certain fruits and vegetables can help you sleep better, and that falls in line with the following suggestions:

• Follow a diet that includes whole foods, lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, nuts, seeds, and cooking in non-tropical oils such as olive oil. LE8 also mentions canola as a heart-healthy oil, but keep in mind that canola oil has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
• Try to get 2 ½ hours of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity each week. That breaks down to a weekly schedule of five 30-minute sessions of moderate activity (such as walking) or three 25-minute sessions of vigorous physical activity (such as running or high-intensity interval training).
• The AHA defines tobacco use as the use of any inhaled nicotine products, including traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes and vaping. So if you engage in any of these activities, quit today.
• Strive to maintain a healthy weight. The AHA suggests keeping your BMI between 18.5 and 25. Lower than 18.5 is considered underweight, while between 25 and 30 is considered overweight, and over 30 is considered obese. Following a healthy diet and getting enough exercise will go a long way toward keeping your BMI in the healthy range.

Sources:

The sleep-heart link doctors are urging women over 45 to know — ScienceDaily

Prospective associations of American Heart Association Life’s Essential 8 with subclinical measures of vascular health, cardiovascular disease events, and all-cause mortality in women traversing menopause: The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation study — Menopause

Life’s Essential 8 — American Heart Association

The post Why poor sleep is a ticking time bomb for women over 45 appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Given that this is a normal physiologic process and not a disease, menopause is supposed to be something women just endure and move beyond. But if you’ve been through it yourself or are in the midst of “the change,” you’ve probably realized that nothing about this process feels even remotely normal!

That is, unless you think hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, sleep disturbance, vaginal dryness, urinary urgency and incontinence, weight gain, decreased libido, thinning hair and skin, memory and concentration problems, joint and muscle pain — not to mention heart palpitations and out-of-nowhere high LDL — are all normal!

I don’t typically venture outside of conditions that I manage. I’m a cardiologist. I deal with chest pain and EKGs. But I felt compelled to write this blog series because I continue to see so many female patients suffering with many of the symptoms related to menopause while being denied — or fearful of — a proven life-enhancing intervention. All based on faulty data.

I’m talking about hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

You’ve probably heard the warnings: It causes breast cancer. It’s dangerous. It does more harm than good. These statements have become medical dogma. But they are outdated, oversimplified, and in many cases — flat-out wrong.

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Why HRT Deserves a Second Look

If you’re a woman navigating perimenopause or menopause, what you’ve been told about HRT — or what you think you know about HRT — could be standing between you and a dramatically better life.

This blog series is meant to give you the knowledge you need to not only help yourself through this time (and beyond) but also understand a treatment option that is out there. So that you can have a more informed conversation with your care provider.

To be clear — I am NOT advocating that every woman should go on HRT. But every woman should at least be given the opportunity to determine for themselves if it is right for them.

The Whole-Body Impact of Sex Hormones

First, here’s something really important you need to understand: Sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) don’t just have roles in reproduction and sex drive. Receptors for these hormones exist all over our bodies! Not surprisingly, menopause-related whole-body reductions in sex hormone levels have far-reaching effects.

Hormones and Bladder Health

One organ impacted by those far-reaching effects is the bladder. It happens to be very hormone-sensitive. And not just in terms of maintaining urinary continence. When estrogen levels decline, the microbiome of the bladder and vagina changes, making postmenopausal women far more susceptible to urinary tract infections. Indeed, about 20% of women over age 65 will develop a UTI, with close to 1/3 of these experiencing recurrent infections.

Hormones and Bone Loss

The skeletal system is a major casualty. In the absence of estrogen, women can lose as much as 20% of their bone density in the first 5 years post-menopause, with bone loss slowing down to about 1% per year thereafter. As a result, one in two women over age 50 will experience an osteoporosis-related bone fracture. This is incredibly serious — a hip fracture can be a terminal event. Close to 30% of hip fracture patients will not survive one year. And even if a woman makes it past that, the odds of her getting back to prior levels of activity are low.

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Hormones and Brain Function

Brain? The risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s is significantly higher for women. The role of sex hormones is not fully worked out here, but even in the shorter term, sleep disturbance can become a huge issue affecting mental clarity.  Estrogen and progesterone help drive circadian rhythms, and the wild fluctuations in their levels during perimenopause can do a number on the sleep cycle. Plus, it’s hard to sleep when you’re drenched in sweat.

Hormones and Heart Disease

As a cardiologist, I see this in my practice almost daily. Heart rhythm disturbances become more common around menopause, probably due to a combination of factors — especially sleep disturbance. Fortunately, most of these rhythm issues are benign. But that doesn’t mean they feel good! Cholesterol profiles almost universally get worse as LDL receptors become less active. As a result heart disease risk accelerates rapidly in postmenopausal women, reaching par with men of equal age about 10 years post our hormonal upheaval.

Menopause-Related Impact on Life Quality

Add vaginal dryness and loss of libido and you have a marked decline in quality of life — right around the halfway point in women’s lifespans.

These may all be “natural” consequences of changes in hormone levels, but are we just supposed to sit back and accept all that?

Would MEN accept all that??

This is part one of a five-part series. See:

Menopause and the Big Lie , Part 1

Menopuase and the Big Lie, Part 2

Menopause and the big lie: The facts they left out, Part 3

Menopause and the big lie: The lasting impact, Part 4

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

Sometimes, an observational study is convincing enough to be considered a valid source of evidence.

And while it may not offer “cause and effect” proof, an observational study, when done well, gives us enough information to convince us that changing our behavior could benefit our health.

This is especially true when it comes to what we eat.

I’ve often said here that “food is medicine.” Well, here’s an observational study that has convinced me eating a little differently will add some years to my life…

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Women need more vitamin K1 to keep arteries flexible

A study at Australia’s Edith Cowan University has shown that eating just an extra cup of leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables each day could save your life.

These vegetables, including spinach, kale, and broccoli, are rich in vitamin K1.

The researchers investigated whether eating more vitamin K1 was linked to better heart and blood vessel health in older women.

Older women were chosen as subjects because they have a unique risk for atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD), a type of cardiovascular disease where plaque builds up inside your arteries, narrowing them and restricting blood flow.

This is one reason that women are known to be at greater risk of heart attack and stroke than men. Hormonal factors also contribute to this increased risk level.

The study participants were 1,436 women, who averaged 75 years of age. A food questionnaire assessed their vitamin K1 levels at the start of the study.

Then, the researchers followed them for 14.5 years using hospital and death records.

In general, women who ate more vitamin K1 had thinner carotid artery walls, reflecting less early-stage atherosclerosis.

More specifically, women with the highest K1 intake (120mcg) had a 43% lower risk of dying from ASVD.

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Are you getting enough K1?

If you’re following the recommended daily guidelines, you’re probably not getting that 120mcg of K1 that lowered the risk of dying from ASVD.

The recommended daily intake of K1 in the U.S. is only 90mcg for adult females.

In Australia and New Zealand, it’s even lower: only 60mcg for females.

But you know what? It doesn’t take much to get to that 120mcg mark. Let me show you…

• A cup of raw kale provides 472mcg
• A cup of raw spinach offers 145mcg
• Just half a cup of cooked broccoli provides 110mcg
• A half-cup of cooked Brussels sprouts contains 109mcg.
• A half-cup of cooked cabbage provides 82mcg.

The point is, you won’t have to try too hard to get to that goal of eating 120mcg of K1 per day.

The study authors noted they did not investigate the other vitamin K component — vitamin K2 — even though it may impact heart health, only because estimating intake and availability of vitamin K2 is difficult to determine, since intestinal bacteria are involved in the synthesis of K2.

But if you’d like to know more about this form of vitamin K (found in much different food sources than K1), check out how vitamin K2 fights a common contributor of unhealthy aging — calcification.

Sources:

An extra cup of leafy greens each day reduces heart disease death risk — New Atlas

Higher vitamin K1 intakes are associated with lower subclinical atherosclerosis and lower risk for atherosclerotic vascular disease-related outcomes in older women — European Journal of Nutrition

The post The vitamin to help women avoid a fatal arterial disease appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

GSM encompasses a collection of genital, sexual and urinary symptoms and signs associated with decreased estrogen and sex steroid levels. These include vaginal dryness, vulvar atrophy and urinary urgency or incontinence.

The vulva refers to the external female genitalia, while the vagina relates to the internal anatomy. For both parts, menopause can cause itching, burning, pain, decreased lubrication and changes in the skin’s appearance.

Not surprisingly, the end result of GSM is a decrease in the frequency of sexual activity for women between the ages of 40 and 70. I mean, who wants to have sex when it hurts?

There are ways to help combat this pain, one of which is by reversing GSM itself. Since GSM is caused by estrogen deficiency, the standard remedy is vaginal ultra-low-dose estrogen therapy. But the breast cancer link can discourage some women from taking this route.

One team of researchers has hit upon another possible solution that may surprise you….

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Sex can improve genitourinary syndrome of menopause

The researchers undertook a study involving more than 900 Japanese women aged 40 to 79 years to explore the link between regular sexual activity and vulvovaginal-related menopausal symptoms. They defined “regular sexual activity” as engaging in sex in the past three months. Having sex in the past year but not in the past three months was considered “lower sexual activity.”

To no one’s surprise, the researchers confirmed the proportion of women having regular sex decreased significantly with age, aligning with the decrease in Female Sexual Function Index scores for sexual desire, arousal and lubrication. The index consists of 19 questions on female sexual function under six domains.

One interesting note: despite the decrease in sexual desire, arousal and lubrication, orgasm and satisfaction were shown not to decline with age.

The study results showed that while some sexual functions and symptoms change with age, they may be maintained in women who engage in more regular sexual activity. Results also demonstrated a lower prevalence of GSM-related symptoms such as vulvar pain, irritation and dryness in women having regular sex.

What to do if worried about estrogen

Dr. Monica Christmas, associate medical director for The Menopause Society, said the study’s findings emphasize the importance of diagnosing and treating GSM.

“Only 2.9% of the participants reported using hormone therapy,” Christmas says. “Local low-dose vaginal estrogen therapy is safe and highly effective at alleviating bothersome vulvovaginal symptoms contributing to pain and avoidance of intercourse.

She adds that “optimal sexual health is integral to overall well-being” and that it is “imperative to recognize the effect these symptoms can have on women who aren’t sexually active.

“Treatment should be offered to anyone with symptoms, whether engaging in sexual activity or not,” Christmas says. “Normalizing use of local low-dose estrogen therapy should be a thing.”

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So far, according to Johns Hopkins, clinical trials have indicated minimal to no systemic absorption of the type of topical estrogen therapy used to treat GSM, resulting in no increased risk of breast cancer recurrence.

But if you’re a GSM sufferer who’s still wary of estrogen therapy, there are things you can do to make sex more comfortable. One of the primary methods is vaginal lubrication.

There are water-based lubricants that you apply just before having sex to reduce discomfort during intercourse. You want to avoid products that contain glycerin or warming properties because they can irritate that sensitive tissue of the vagina. Also, if you’re using condoms, don’t use petroleum jelly or other petroleum-based products for lubrication because they can break down latex condoms on contact.

If this type of lubrication proves ineffective, you can try vaginal moisturizers to restore some moisture to your vaginal area. External moisturizers help the vulva area, and internal moisturizers are inserted into the vagina. These need to be applied every few days, and their effects generally last longer than those of a lubricant.

You can also try pelvic floor exercises to improve vaginal blood flow and tissue elasticity. A pelvic floor therapist can help if needed. Libido-boosting exercises, like hip thrusts, will increase blood flow to the pelvis, mimicking what happens during intimacy. It’s well known that blood flow improves erections for men, but it’s less known that for women, it enhances our pleasure zones.

In addition, make sure you’re managing your stress levels. The stress hormone cortisol decreases testosterone, which significantly impacts sex drive in women. It also negatively affects the body’s production of DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), a hormone precursor that the body uses to produce estrogen and testosterone.

Sources:

The pleasure prescription: Why more sex means less menopause pain — ScienceDaily

Cross-sectional study of the association between regular sexual activity and sexual function and genitourinary syndrome of menopause–related symptoms — Menopause

Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause — Johns Hopkins Medicine

Vaginal atrophy — Mayo Clinic

Experiencing Vaginal Dryness? Here’s What You Need to Know — The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

The post The surprising benefits of regular sex in menopause appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That’s why a lot of women choose to take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to counteract some of those symptoms. But HRT isn’t for everyone, and may elevate risk of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancers, as well as heart attack, stroke and pulmonary embolism.

But what if I told you there was an all-natural way to practically eliminate one of the most bothersome symptoms of menopause?

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The vegan diet and hot flashes

About 80 percent of menopausal women suffer from vasomotor symptoms commonly known as hot flashes. They can occur during the day or night (or worse, both), interfering with sleep and quality of life.

Back in 2022, researchers looking for ways to counteract these uncomfortable symptoms conducted the Women’s Study for the Alleviation of Vasomotor Symptoms (WAVS). The study involved 84 women who reported having two or more moderate-to-severe hot flashes daily.

The women were randomly assigned to one of two groups: an intervention group asked to follow a low-fat vegan diet that included a half cup of cooked soybeans a day, or a control group that continued their usual diets for 12 weeks.

The results were remarkable. The vegan diet…

• Decreased overall hot flashes by 95 percent
• Eliminated severe hot flashes
• Led to a 96 percent decrease in moderate-to-severe hot flashes
• Reduced daytime and nighttime hot flashes by 96 and 94 percent, respectively

As if that weren’t enough, participants following the vegan diet lost 6.4 pounds on average.

“We do not fully understand yet why this combination works but it seems that these three elements are key — avoiding animal products, reducing fat, and adding a serving of soybeans,” explains lead researcher Neal Barnard, MD, president of the Physicians Committee and adjunct professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine.

“Our results mirror the diets of places in the world, like pre-Westernized Japan and modern-day Yucatán Peninsula, where a low-fat, plant-based diet including soybeans is more prevalent and where postmenopausal women experience fewer symptoms.”

But to get more insight into how a vegan diet affected these changes, the researchers conducted a secondary analysis of the WAVS data — and have recently released their findings…

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Changes to the gut microbiome made all the difference

The researchers discovered something unusual in the gut microbiomes of the women that could account for the relief provided by the vegan diet…

When comparing stool samples from a subset of 11 participants at the start of the study and again after 12 weeks on a vegan diet, they found changes in the amount of several types of gut bacteria.

They saw an association between decreased severe daytime hot flashes and a reduction in the abundance of Porphyromonas and Prevotella corporis bacteria. Prevotella corporis has also been found in the gut of rheumatoid arthritis patients and appears to have pro-inflammatory properties.

In addition, a decrease in Clostridium asparagiforme was linked with a reduction in total severe and severe nighttime hot flashes. This bacteria has been shown to produce trimethylamine-N-oxide, a compound associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Therefore, a reduced abundance of Clostridium asparagiforme could partly explain the benefits of a plant-based diet for cardiovascular health. It could also provide a possible link between hot flashes and cardiovascular disease. For women, the risk of heart disease begins to climb during menopause and skyrockets in the years following.

The researchers also found changes in the levels of other bacteria could play a role in alleviating hot flashes by stabilizing estrogen levels, reducing inflammation and increasing satiety.

“Women who want to fight hot flashes should feed the bacteria in their gut a vegan diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains and beans, which also leads to weight loss and protects against heart disease and type 2 diabetes,” says study co-author Dr. Hana Kahleova, director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Sources:

1. Vegan diet fosters changes in gut microbiome that reduce hot flashes by 95%, finds new study — EurekAlert!

2. A dietary intervention for postmenopausal hot flashes: A potential role of gut microbiome. An exploratory analysis — Complementary Therapies in Medicine

3. Hot flashes — Mayo Clinic

The post 3 ingredients that stop hot flashes, start weight loss in menopause 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®.

Your hypothalamus, a part of your brain that controls many bodily functions, sets your core body temperature. For most of us, that temperature is set at about 98.6°F.

However, if your body absorbs more heat than it releases, your internal temperature will rise above this point.

Heat stroke can cause brain swelling, kidney and liver failure, and nerve damage, as well as reduced blood flow to the heart. Any of these can become life-threatening very quickly.

Older people are more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke. But, medical experts have known that women are at a higher risk of dying from a heat-related illness than men. The “why” has been the missing part of the puzzle until now…

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Women’s vulnerability to heat begins early

Researchers at Penn State University tested the heat thresholds of 72 participants between 40 and 92 years of age by placing them in a specialized environmental chamber. But first, they each swallowed a tiny devise encased in a capsule that would measure their core temperature throughout the experiment.

The participants engaged in light physical activity to simulate the effort of minimal day-to-day tasks — the types of things people would need to do even during a heat wave.

Gradually, the researchers increased the temperature and humidity in the chamber until participants’ bodies could no longer adequately cool themselves, and their core temperature began to rise.

What they found was that the physiological responses of middle-aged women were similar to the responses seen in older men in the study.

In other words, older women are at greater risk than older men, and middle-aged women are as vulnerable as older men.

Support your body’s cooling system

The wisest way to avoid heat-related illnesses, including heat stroke, is to stay out of the heat. But that’s not always possible. Staying hydrated, out of direct sunlight and wearing loose-fitting clothing can help.

But as we just read, women may need more help staying cool…

A few years ago, I learned how the circulation system not only supplies blood throughout the body but also acts as a cooling system.

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When the body increases blood flow at the skin level — and that action is combined with sweat on the skin’s surface — it helps the body cool down.

With age, however, the blood vessels have a harder time dilating. This means blood doesn’t circulate efficiently enough to dissipate heat — much like a car’s engine that’s running without enough coolant.

To widen blood vessels, the body depends on the production of nitric oxide (NO). However, the body produces less with age and for women there is a double whammy: the loss of estrogen exacerbates the loss of NO.

Luckily, NO production can be supported by eating foods rich in either dietary nitrates, L-arginine or the B vitamin, folate.

Nitrates are converted to nitrites and then nitric oxide in the gut, bloodstream and various organs — anywhere there are blood vessels depending on it to help widen and support blood flow, including the skin.

Foods known to increase NO include:

• Beets
• Leafy greens
• Celery
• Radishes
• Watermelon
• Nuts and seeds
• Meat
• Eggs
• Dairy

You’d need to eat a little every day as these foods help the body make a supply of nitric oxide that lasts roughly about 24 hours.

Take your risk of heat-related illnesses seriously and prepare ahead to stay safe.

Sources:

Older women more vulnerable to heat than their male peers, researchers find — Science Daily

Sex differences in heat stress vulnerability among middle-aged and older adults (PSU HEAT Project) — American Journal of Physiology

Heatstroke — Cleveland Clinic

The post Why women face a higer risk of death from heat-related illnesses 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®.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

That brings us to the subject of urinary incontinence — or the involuntary leakage of urine, AKA bladder leaks — a common symptom that affects 50% of adult women and increases with age.

In fact, up to 75% of women over 65 report urine leakage. It’s certainly annoying, but is it dangerous?

Researchers aren’t exactly sure how yet, but it may increase your risk of several cardiovascular disease (CVD) factors…

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An odd association that defies explanation — for now

That’s what a study led by Dr. Lisa Van Wiel and a team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse aimed to find out…

They analyzed medical records from more than 20,000 female patients in the Hartford Healthcare system in Connecticut over two years.

Health data was gathered and lifestyle habits were also taken into account. Of the women, 5.4% reported on a questionnaire that they had urinary incontinence.

Because of the challenges of being incontinent, the researchers fully expected to find that the women reporting urinary incontinence had reduced levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).

But they did not. The women with urinary incontinence did not report that they engaged in less physical activity than women who did not have the condition.

However, the women with urinary incontinence did have increased CVD risk factors or events, such as dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes and stroke.

Considering that previous research has shown physical activity to have a positive effect on lowering CVD factors, the researchers could only assume that there is a yet-to-be-explained association between incontinence and cardiovascular disease risk, and that “Women should be screened for incontinence regularly as it may contribute to CVD risk, and women with CVD risk factors should be screened for undiagnosed incontinence.”

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An extra ounce of prevention for women

Though the researchers can not yet pinpoint the cause of the association, the research highlighted an increased risk of inactivity-related CVD risk factors and cardiometabolic comorbid conditions among patients with urinary incontinence — despite no changes in moderate to vigorous activity levels.

They feel that warrants recommending that women with urinary incontinence, particularly those 50 and older, be screened routinely for CVD.

The authors state that “future studies should investigate potential mechanisms of this association, including incontinence severity, activity intensity and chronic inflammation.”

In other words, these factors may help explain the connection between incontinence and CVD.

So, if you’re a woman over 50 with bladder leaks, let your doctor know — and not just your gynecologist. Ask about screenings for CVD risk, as well as for diabetes and stroke risk that may be available to you.

Sources:

Researchers report association between urinary incontinence, cardiovascular disease — Science Daily

Associations of urinary incontinence, physical activity and cardiovascular disease risk among women in the United States — Science Direct

Urinary incontinence linked to higher cardiovascular disease risk — Contemporary OB/GYN

Is urine incontinence normal for women? — Mayo Clinic

The post The warning bladder leaks could have for your heart 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®.

Phthalates are synthetic chemicals used to make plastics more flexible. But they’re found in everything… from dish soap and detergent, to lotion and deodorant, to the flooring and upholstery in your home.

Phthalates are endocrine disruptors. They interfere with the normal functions of the hormones that make our body work.

Chronic exposure to phthalates affects every organ system in the body. They are linked to obesity, asthma and breast cancer, to name a few.

And as if that weren’t enough, we now know that phthalates are doing harm in the womb, impacting a developing baby’s brain and metabolism…

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How phthalates damage fetal brains and metabolism

A study led by researchers at Emory University’s School of Public Health is the first to find evidence of just how a mother’s exposure to phthalates can damage her unborn child’s brain.

The study used the science of metabolomics, which provides a “functional readout” of a body’s health and can be used to understand how environmental factors affect bodily function.

While the process was complex, the findings couldn’t be clearer:

• Phthalate levels in a mother’s blood during pregnancy were associated with lower levels of hormones important to brain development in a newborn’s blood shortly after birth (in other words, they cause impaired brain development in a newborn).
• High phthalate levels were also linked to lower attention and arousal scores in newborns, indicating impaired brain development during the crucial first days and weeks of a newborn’s life.
• These findings suggest that a mother’s exposure to phthalates while a baby is still in utero may have lasting effects on an infant’s brain development.

Dr. Susan Hoffman, first author of the study, makes a crucial point:

“There is a common belief that the placenta protects the baby from a lot of harmful substances, but this study supports that phthalates are able to cross through the placenta and actually impact the baby’s biology before they are even born and negatively affect their development over time.”

So, it seems that mothers must start protecting their children from the dangers of this world even before they’re born. That’s no easy task, but there are a few ways to decrease exposure…

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Ways to cut down on phthalate exposure

Phthalates are known as the “everywhere chemical,” and with good reason…

Besides their use in plastic, they are used to retain the scents in fragrances and to help topical products like lotions and cosmetics stick to and penetrate the skin.

Here’s just a partial list of products that are highly likely to contain phthalates:

• Nail polish
• Shampoo
• Deodorant
• Sanitary pads
• Baby powder (yes, baby powder)
• Plastic drinking straws
• Detergents
• Air fresheners (even when labeled “all-natural” or “unscented”)
• Vinyl shower curtains, mini-blinds and flooring
• Garden hoses
• Scented candles
• Plastic bottles
• Toys, like bath toys, drinking straws, and rubber ducks

Try to avoid ultraprocessed foods, which hold a higher concentration of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, one of the most common and harmful phthalates.

Phthalates seep into these foods via equipment in processing plants, including conveyor belts, tubing, lids, adhesives and plastic wrap.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, a study of cheese products found high levels of phthalates in powdered cheese samples, including those in boxed mac and cheese, much higher than the concentrations found in cheese slices and natural cheeses like shredded and string cheese. (Unfortunately, all of them contained phthalates.)

That means even healthy foods processed and packaged this way harbor phthalates that seep into your food.

Be especially wary of plastic containers. And when you absolutely can’t avoid plastic packaging, take a look at the plastic number. Plastics numbered 3 and 7 are more likely to contain harmful chemicals, such as phthalates, whereas plastics 1, 2 and 5 are safer.

Try to eat more foods that come in natural wrappers, like fruits, vegetables and fresh meat.

A few more things you can do to protect yourself and your baby:

• Don’t drink bottled water. Stick to tap water and avoid possible contamination.
• Eat cleansing foods. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, or Brussels sprouts bind to chemicals and remove them from your body in a process known as chelation.
• Be careful with takeout food. Avoid Styrofoam containers. And never reheat food in plastic containers. The heat will cause phthalates to leach into your food.

Sources:

Using everyday products during pregnancy can affect newborn’s metabolism, study finds — Science Daily

Impact of prenatal phthalate exposure on newborn metabolome and infant neurodevelopment — Nature Communications

Fighting Phthalates — Natural Resources Defense Council

How to Detoxify Plastics (Phthalates) — Functional Medicine University

The post Phthalates & placenta: The danger that breaches the womb 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®.

It’s a sleep issue that affects close to 30 million Americans and carries serious risks, including obesity, diabetes, anxiety, depression and even heart disease.

That’s not even counting the research that poor sleep nearly doubles dementia risk.

Study after study has shown that processes that deep clean the brain occur during sleep. Sleep disruptions hinder these processes and may allow plaques to spread throughout your brain.

And if you’re a woman, the brain dangers of sleep apnea are even greater…

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Females face a higher dementia risk at every age

Michigan Medicine researchers uncovered an alarming link between sleep apnea and dementia while examining cognitive screening data from more than 18,500 adults.

They found that all adults 50 and older with known obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or its symptoms have a higher chance of developing symptoms of or receiving a diagnosis of dementia in the coming years.

But for women, the risk was more pronounced…

They saw that at every age level, women with known or suspected OSA were more likely than men to be diagnosed with dementia. 

In fact, the rate of dementia diagnoses decreased among men while growing in numbers for women as they aged.

Considering that about two-thirds of those currently living with dementia are women, these results are not surprising. They only add to a growing list of reasons women are particularly affected, including…

The menopause link to sleep apnea

“Estrogen starts to decline as women transition to menopause, which can impact their brains,” reminds study co-author Galit Levi Dunietz, Ph.D., M.P.H.

“During that time, they are more prone to memory, sleep and mood changes that may lead to cognitive decline. Sleep apnea increases significantly post-menopause yet remains underdiagnosed.”

The researchers point out that OSA heightens the risk of both heart disease and insomnia, which have powerfully adverse effects on cognitive function.

Of course, OSA also deprives the brain of normal oxygen levels. Combine that with menopause, and you get a sleep apnea/menopause double threat for women, shortchanging the brain of oxygen and sleep.

See, estrogen is more than a female hormone. It affects factors that regulate vascular wall elasticity, mainly the production of nitric oxide (NO). NO is a compound that helps blood vessels dilate so more oxygen-rich blood can flow through your body — including to the brain and the heart.

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Better sleep for a better brain

Experts estimate that 90% of women living with sleep apnea are undiagnosed.

This makes paying attention to sleep apnea symptoms vital for your brain health. Factors to look for include:

• Waking up frequently during the night (often with shortness of breath)
• Loud snoring
• A dry mouth or sore throat in the morning
• Feeling sleepy or irritable
• Having a difficult time concentrating
• Insomnia
• Episodes where you stop breathing during sleep
• Heartburn

If you have any of these signs of OSA, talk to your doctor about whether you need a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. A CPAP is designed to keep your airways open while you sleep by blowing compressed air into them.

Dentists can also help by recognizing signs of sleep apnea in the mouth. Along with a patient’s medical history and other screening tools, dentists may be able to spot up to 80 percent of patients at risk for sleep disorders, including sleep apnea. They can also recommend oral appliances that can help.

Sources:

Sleep apnea contributes to dementia in older adults, especially women — EurekAlert!

Sleep apnea — Mayo Clinic

Sleep Apnea Statistics for 2024 — Sleep Advisor

Better sleep provides better odds against mind-stealing plaques — Easy Health Options

The post Sleep apnea’s dementia double threat for women appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

In this condition, the muscles and connective tissues of the pelvic floor weaken and allow the organs they usually hold in place — like the bladder and uterus — to shift downward and press against the vaginal wall.

POP is usually a result of pregnancy, childbirth or menopause and typically results in pelvic pressure and the feeling of tissue bulging from the vagina.

If that weren’t “uncomfortable” enough, POP presents a double whammy when it comes to urinary tract infection…

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UTI and POP: A problem before and after

During prolapse, pressure on the bladder can keep it from emptying completely, causing urine stagnation and bacterial growth (this is similar to what happens in men with an enlarged prostate). This is why women experiencing prolapse are known to get frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs).

If a woman’s quality of life is impacted enough by pain and bowel and bladder problems, surgery may be required to put pelvic organs back in place. More than 12 percent of American women will have POP surgery in their lifetime.

But for some, even if other symptoms are alleviated by surgery, post-surgical UTIs and other complications can persist…

Researchers at Mayo Clinic looking to head off these post-surgical complications analyzed vaginal microbiome samples from postmenopausal women undergoing a vaginal hysterectomy with pelvic reconstruction.

The samples were collected at five stages, including before surgery, immediately after and during recovery. They then used advanced sequencing techniques to map the genetic material of the microbes and identify changes in the microbial communities.

They made some fascinating discoveries…

Key bacteria involved in disruption

Women with lower levels of the protective bacterial species Lactobacillus in the vaginal microbiome were more likely to develop a UTI post-POP surgery.

In addition, higher levels of the bacteria types Prevotella and Gardnerella — both linked to inflammation and infection — were associated with a greater risk of postoperative UTI.

Then, samples taken after surgery showed lower microbial diversity in both the vaginal and urinary microbiomes. It’s a known fact that the diversity of bacterial strains is essential for healthy microbiomes. The researchers suggest that preoperative antibiotics (which can contribute to dysbiosis) and vaginal cleansing before surgery, and the surgery itself, could be to blame for the imbalanced microbiomes.

By identifying these patterns, the researchers hope they have found a way to potentially predict who will develop a post-surgical UTI before surgery even begins.

“Our ability to detect these microbiome patterns provides a potential opportunity to personalize treatment strategies and improve outcomes,” says Dr. Marina Walther-Antonio, a microbiome researcher at the Mayo Clinic.

“Understanding the microbiome’s role in post-surgical infections gives us a unique opportunity to possibly prevent these complications altogether,” says Dr. John Occhino, a Mayo Clinic urogynecologic surgeon.

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It’s all about diversity

UTIs can be especially challenging for women, with or without POP. Staying ahead of the game by supporting your microbiomes with probiotics is a simple and effective way to reduce your risk of these annoying infections.

Probiotic suppositories that can be vaginally inserted are on the market, though the research has not quite caught up with how effective they are. However, I did come across a study where women who took oral Lactobacillus saw a significant increase in the numbers of their vaginal lactobacilli.

You might be excited to learn that previous research shows probiotics in the Lactobacillus family are particularly effective when it comes to weight loss.

But most importantly, taking a probiotic could not only help build up a healthy microbiome before surgery, but it may also prevent the disruption to the microbiome that the researcher saw occur from surgery.

Here are more supplements known to help reduce the risk of UTI…

• D-mannose: This glucose-related sugar can prevent certain bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract. In at least one study, it has been found to be more effective than antibiotics at getting rid of recurrent UTIs.
• Cranberry extract: Research has shown that consuming cranberry products in juice, tablet or capsule form was strongly associated with reduced risk of UTI in women with recurrent infections. Other studies indicate that proanthocyanidins (a type of polyphenol) could keep E. coli, the bacteria behind most UTIs, from sticking to the urinary tract lining.

If you plan to undergo POP, you may want to talk to your doctor leading up to surgery for best practices to avoid post-surgical UTI, and be sure he is aware of any supplements you’re taking in case he wants you to stop for a brief period before surgery.

Sources:

Vaginal microbiome may predict post-surgery urinary tract infections — Mayo Clinic

Preoperative vaginal microbiome as a predictor of postoperative urinary tract infection — Scientific Reports

Pelvic organ prolapse — Mayo Clinic

Demystifying pelvic organ prolapse — UChicagoMedicine

Are My Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Caused by Prolapse? — Austin Urogynecology

Vaginal microbiome following orally administered probiotic — Journal of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

The post What women should know about pelvic organ prolapse and UTI appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

You’re in the grocery store. One minute, you’re fine; the next, you’re on the floor with the worst headache of your life. People around you keep asking you to repeat yourself because your speech is indecipherable. And you can’t seem to make your hands or feet work properly.

You’ve suffered a stroke.

A stroke is a medical emergency that can come on without warning, even though the blockage of blood vessels leading to your brain has probably been building invisibly for months or even years.

Strokes are most often associated with people over age 65. But younger people are not without risk. In fact, younger people have been suffering strokes in increasing numbers.

Last year, a CDC study reported that, over the past decade or so, incidents of stroke increased 14.6% among people ages 18 to 44 and about 15.7% among people ages 45 to 64.

And that’s just the strokes that are being reported!

The study attributes this increase mainly to more cases of obesity and hypertension in these age groups.

But some new research links strokes in women with another factor — one that you can take steps to control.

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Stress is triggering strokes in women under 50

Dr. Nicolas Martinez-Majander of Helsinki University in Finland has this to say:

“Younger people often experience stress due to the demands and pressures associated with work, including long hours and job insecurity, as well as financial burdens.

“Previous research has shown that chronic stress can negatively affect physical and mental health. Our study found it may increase the risk of stroke in younger women.”

For the current study, researchers looked at 426 people ages 18 to 49 who had an ischemic stroke and matched them with 426 people who didn’t have a stroke.

All were asked, “In the last month, how often have you felt that you were unable to control the important things in your life?” They scored each question from zero to four, with four being “very often.”

The researchers found that for female participants, moderate stress (a total score of 14 to 26) was associated with a 78% increased risk of stroke. A similar link between stress and stroke was not found in male participants.

One explanation could be that menopausal women see a drop in estrogen, which is thought to protect the heart and blood vessels.

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Knowing the signs of stroke and controlling stress

Signs that you could be having a stroke include:

• a sudden, intense headache
• numbness or tingling on one side of the face or body
• weakness in arms, legs, or face, especially on one side of the body
• trouble with balance or coordination
• vision problems
• confusion
• dizziness
• language issues and slurring of words

You may not have all these symptoms, but if one or a few develop quickly, call 911. Never hesitate because you think, “It can’t be a stroke.” It could.

Here are half a dozen ways to start reducing stress in your daily life:

• Get more physical activity
• Eat a balanced diet, including whole foods and minimizing processed foods
• Minimize screen time
• Reduce your caffeine intake

There are two that I consider most important:

• Practice self-care — whatever that means for you. Reading a good book, getting a massage, going for a walk, practicing yoga or lighting scented candles … do what makes you feel calm and centered, and do it regularly.
• Create boundaries and learn to say “no.” This could mean not attending a party when you really don’t want to or asking a friend not to stop by unannounced.

Sources:

Stressed out? It may increase the risk of stroke — Eureka Alert

Association Between Self-Perceived Stress and Cryptogenic Ischemic Stroke in Young Adults — Neurology

Strokes Are Increasing in People Under 65 — Web MD

16 simple ways to relieve stress — Healthline

The post What’s increasing stroke in women under 50? appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

VILPA stands for vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity. It’s a form of physical activity that involves short bursts of high-intensity exercise interspersed throughout the day.

It’s a great way to sneak exercise into your daily routine, and it’s different from traditional exercise in that it doesn’t require a dedicated workout session.

VILPA appeals to me because, instead of spending 30 minutes at the gym, I spend one to two minutes doing a full-on vigorous activity three or four times a day. These activities can include vigorously scrubbing the toilet or dishes, running up and down the stairs or sprinting while walking the dog.

It may not sound like much, but the benefits of VILPA can be profound. In fact, one study showed doing one-minute VILPA bursts three to four times a day resulted in a 40 percent reduction in all-cause and cancer-related mortality and up to a 49 percent reduction in death related to cardiovascular disease.

A new study has found even more heart benefits to these tiny, daily bursts of vigorous physical activity — particularly for women….

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VILPA halved cardiovascular risks in women

Researchers at the University of Sydney examined data from 22,368 UK Biobank participants ages 40 to 79 who reported they did not engage in regular structured exercise. The participants wore physical activity trackers for almost 24 hours a day for 7 days between 2013 and 2015. Cardiovascular health was monitored using hospital and mortality records, and significant adverse cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke and heart failure were tracked until November 2022.

The study defined physical activity (that qualifies as VILPA) as incidental activities such as carrying shopping bags or briefly power walking, and exercise as a structured activity like going to the gym or playing sports.

After adjusting for factors such as lifestyle, socioeconomic position, cardiovascular health, co-existing conditions and ethnicity, the researchers found the more VILPA women did, the lower their risk of a major cardiovascular event.

Women who averaged 3.4 minutes of VILPA daily slashed their risk of a major cardiovascular event by 45 percent. They also were 51 percent less likely to have a heart attack and 67 percent less likely to develop heart failure than women who did no VILPA.

Even when the women did less than 3.4 minutes of daily VILPA, they still saw benefits. A minimum of 1.2 to 1.6 minutes of VILPA each day was linked to a 30 percent lower risk of total major cardiovascular events, a 33 percent lower risk of heart attack and a 40 percent lower risk of heart failure.

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Men didn’t benefit as much

Unfortunately, the news wasn’t nearly as good for men. Those who averaged 5.6 minutes of VILPA daily were only 16 percent less likely to experience a major cardiovascular event compared with men who did none. A minimum of 2.3 minutes a day showed only an 11 percent risk reduction.

Given that fewer than 20 percent of middle-aged or older adults engage in regular structured exercise, VILPA could be a good alternative.

“Making short bursts of vigorous physical activity a lifestyle habit could be a promising option for women who are not keen on structured exercise or are unable to do it for any reason,” says lead author Emmanuel Stamatakis, a professor at the University of Sydney.

“As a starting point, it could be as simple as incorporating, throughout the day, a few minutes of activities like stair climbing, carrying shopping, uphill walking, playing tag with a child or pet or … power walking.” 

Stamatakis notes that more testing is needed to understand how VILPA may improve cardiovascular health.

“To date, it hasn’t been clear whether short bursts of VILPA lower the risk of specific types of cardiovascular events, like heart attack or stroke,” he says. “We aimed to identify minimum daily thresholds and feasible amounts for testing in community programs and future trials.”

Stamatakis emphasizes that the beneficial associations observed in the study were observed in women who committed to VILPA almost daily. “This highlights the importance of habit formation, which is not always easy,” he says.

“VILPA should not be seen as a quick fix — there are no magic bullets for health,” he adds. “But our results show that even a little bit higher intensity activity can help and might be just the thing to help people develop a regular physical activity — or even exercise — habit.”

Sources:

Tiny, daily bursts of vigorous incidental physical activity could almost halve cardiovascular risk in middle-aged women — ScienceDaily

Device-measured vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) and major adverse cardiovascular events: evidence of sex differences — British Journal of Sports Medicine

The post Got 4 minutes? Cut heart disease risk in half appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

One claims that drinking cough syrup increases your fertility because it thins out the cervical mucus, making it easier for sperm to pass into the uterus. Another involves wearing rose quartz, a crystal thought to increase fertility and boost conception rates.

There is no evidence to support most of these claims. However, one recommendation that proved somewhat true in a study is eating a hearty breakfast.

A group of women who ate their largest meal at breakfast began to ovulate more regularly, improving their fertility. The theory is that the nutrients in the meal probably caused the effect. However, there was no breakdown of which nutrients might be responsible.

Now, a systematic review of two dozen studies has pinpointed one plant-based nutrient that could actually help aid female fertility…

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The fertility benefits of resveratrol

Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol compound found in many plants, most notably grape skins. It is known for its anti-inflammatory, antiaging and antioxidant properties. It has been shown to prevent the inflammation that can lead to heart disease and other chronic conditions.

An international team of researchers reviewed 24 in vitro and in vivo studies focused on resveratrol and female reproductive health. In doing so, they found evidence suggesting resveratrol may improve the quantity and quality of egg cells known as oocytes.

There are a couple of possible explanations for that benefit…

• One is resveratrol’s antioxidant activity, which reduces oxidative stress and helps protect mitochondrial DNA from damage.
• Another is that resveratrol also activates sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), a molecule typically reduced in aged oocytes, and this activity is thought to potentially slow cell aging and extend ovarian lifespan.

The review also revealed the potential use of resveratrol in the treatment of endometriosis-related infertility and obesity-related infertility. In addition to resveratrol’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, it inhibited pathways involved in androgen production. Too much androgen can reduce fertility.

However, it is important to note the review found mixed results regarding miscarriage and pregnancy. Out of five studies reporting on pregnancy rates, two indicated an increase, two found no difference, and one reported a decrease among those taking resveratrol. The same study that found a decline in pregnancy rates also noted an increase in miscarriage rates, though a second study found no difference.

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“Our systematic review on resveratrol and female fertility is a comprehensive overview of all current research, and it highlights the compound’s potential to improve reproductive outcomes and possibly pave the way for new, less invasive treatments, using natural substances,” says Lee Smith, professor of public health at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge, England and senior author of the paper.

“Therefore, there is a need for further clinical trials, involving human participants, in order to translate these promising results into practical recommendations for women looking to improve their fertility, including guidance on the safe and effective dosage of resveratrol.”

Great sources of resveratrol

Resveratrol can be found in higher amounts in specific foods, most of which might appear as part of a healthy diet. Those include:

• Grapes, especially black grapes.
• Red wine (in moderation)
• Peanuts
• Berries
• Peanuts
• Dark chocolate
• Cacao

Supplementing resveratrol is considered safe. But it’s always wise to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations when taking a supplement. At doses over 2.5 grams or more per day, side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and liver dysfunction have been reported. During pregnancy, it’s wise to consult with your doctor about any supplement.

Resveratrol is rapidly absorbed by the body. Unfortunately, the flip side is that the body quickly metabolizes resveratrol. So whatever your favorite source may be, consider spreading them out throughout your day.

Sources:

Study shows potential of resveratrol to aid fertility — EurekAlert!

Resveratrol and Female Fertility: A Systematic Review — International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Which fertility old wives’ tales are actually true? — The Fertility and Gynaecology Academy

11 Old Wives’ Tales About Trying to Conceive That We Should Banish for Good — Yahoo!Life

Showing all foods in which the polyphenol Resveratrol is found — Phenol-Explorer

The post Resveratrol: Longevity antioxidant to fertility booster appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

You see, for a couple of years, mom had suffered from recurrent UTIs.

As you probably know, UTIs are becoming increasingly difficult to treat. Especially since the bacterium that causes them, in most cases, is becoming resistant to antibiotic treatment.

And taking more potent and stronger antibiotics for each urinary tract infection had begun to take a toll on mom…

At one point, she was even hospitalized with a severe C. diff infection (resulting from antibiotic overuse). After that, we knew we had to do something differently to help her, so I began researching…

I devised a plan of action: Instead of fighting infection after infection, we’d help mom avoid them in the first place.

I gave her the three-part system I found to help finally clear those recurrent UTIs — the same one I will give you right now. Mom makes these three supplements part of her routine, and it seems to have done the trick…

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Step #1: D-Mannose

D-mannose is a type of sugar. It’s related to glucose. Now, it may sound strange that I would recommend sugar to get rid of a UTI since you’re usually told to avoid sugar, but stick with me.

The secret behind D-mannose is that it can prevent certain bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract. And it’s been shown to be more effective than antibiotics at getting rid of recurrent UTIs.

In fact, a 2014 study divided 308 women with a history of recurrent UTIs into three groups. One group took D-mannose powder in water for six months. The second group was given a daily antibiotic. The third group received no treatment at all.

By the end of the study, only 98 women still had a recurrent UTI: 15 in the D-mannose group, 21 in the antibiotic group and the rest had received no treatment. Not only did D-mannose beat the antibiotic, it did it without side effects, unlike the prescription drug.

Step #2: Cranberries (and vitamin C)

The next step is cranberries. Women have known these little berries had a powerful action against UTIs for decades. And research has slowly caught up…

In 2023, using data from a review of 50 studies with 8,857 participants, researchers analyzed results from trials where cranberry products were compared with placebos, with antibiotics or probiotics and with no treatment at all.

They found that consuming cranberry products (in juice, tablet or capsule form) was strongly associated with reduced risk of UTIs in women with recurrent infections.

Earlier research has shown that it could be the proanthocyanidins (a type of polyphenol) in cranberries that do the job by keeping E. coli (the bacteria behind most UTIs) from sticking to the urinary tract lining.

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But that’s not all. Cranberries are a good source of vitamin C.

This potential little vitamin does three things: It boosts your immune system, makes your urine more acidic and also helps stop the growth of E. coli).

In 2007, researchers found that a daily dose of just 100 milligrams of vitamin C for three months significantly reduced urinary tract infections.

Step #3: Probiotics

The final step in the three-part plan to get rid of recurrent UTIs is to take probiotics.

That’s because good flora, like what you get in probiotics, helps to prevent the bad bacteria from taking over your urinary tract.

A great way to get more probiotics in your system is to eat fermented foods. These include foods like sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir, yogurt and kimchi. But a high-quality probiotic pill is a super easy way.

The key strain here is Lactobacillus rhamnosus, which is often added to dairy products like yogurt, milk and cheeses to help them ripen.

And, there you have it… a three-part plan to kiss those constant UTIs goodbye for good. Start using the power of D-mannose, cranberries and probiotics today to get rid of the harmful bacteria, boost your immune system and restore your normal flora.

It’s important to remember that men can also suffer from UTIs, and the steps outlined here can be beneficial for them, too.

Sources:

Effectiveness of a Combination of Cranberries, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Vitamin C for the Management of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections in Women: Results of a Pilot Study — European Urology

The post 3 steps to avoid recurrent urinary tract infections appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Two years went by. Despite adopting a regimen of yoga and meditation and switching to a gluten-free diet, her digestive problems got worse. She lost too much weight and could barely leave the house.

So, she went to a new doctor. He at least ordered a colonoscopy. But when the colonoscopy came up normal, he told her it was probably IBS and had only one suggestion for treating it: “Stress makes it worse,” he said. “You need to find ways to de-stress.”

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My friend was pretty frustrated by this point. It seemed like none of her doctors were taking her problem seriously.

Finally, after months of demanding to see a specialist, my friend got an appointment with a gastroenterologist. She carefully listened to my friend’s history, examined her, ordered an endoscopy and colonoscopy and prescribed two medications she thought might help.

It’s only been a couple of weeks, but that medication is already helping her feel like herself again.

So, what was the difference between those doctors? If you noticed the last doctor was a woman, you would be correct…

The benefits of women doctors

It may be the 21st century, but gender bias remains a huge problem in healthcare.

Women are needlessly suffering more often than men, living with undiagnosed conditions more often than men and dying from life-threatening diseases because health research still tends to be male-focused.

Some research has shown this bias appears to be in effect regardless of the doctor’s gender. But in one study, researchers found when women experiencing symptoms of a heart attack had a female physician, they were far more likely to survive.

Another showed that if male doctors had the same outcomes as female doctors, there would be 32,000 fewer deaths in the Medicare population.

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Now, an observational study of more than 700,000 hospitalized male and female patients, aged 65 years or older, has discovered that patients treated by female doctors had a reduced risk of death compared to patients treated by male doctors, as well as lower readmission rates.

Then things got really interesting. When the researchers took a closer look, they found that female patients treated by female doctors benefitted even more…

The researchers pointed out several reasons for the notable differences in care:

• Male doctors may underestimate severity of illness among female patients
• There could be more patient-centered and effective communication between female doctors and their female patients
• It’s easier for women to talk about sensitive, embarrassing or uncomfortable topics with female doctors

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Should you have a female doctor?

If you don’t already have a female doctor, you may be wondering if you should switch to one. The answer: it depends.

Before you go on the hunt for a new doctor, ask yourself these questions:

1. Do I like my doctor?
2. Does my doctor respect my time?
3. Does my doctor really hear what I have to say?
4. Does my doctor answer my questions clearly and completely?
5. Can I understand when my doctor explains things to me?
6. Do I feel belittled or dismissed by my doctor?

If you answered “yes,” to the first 5 questions, then it’s probably best for you to stick with your current doctor, regardless of their gender.

But if you answered yes to number 6, or no to one or more of the other questions, it may be time to move on. And when you do, you may want to consider a female doctor — especially if you’re female yourself.

Sources:

Being treated by a female physician associated with lower risk for death — EurekAlert!

Comparison of Hospital Mortality and Readmission Rates by Physician and Patient Sex — Annals of Internal Medicine

10 signs it’s time to dump your doctor — Detroit Free Press

The post How your doctor’s sex impacts the care you receive appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Lately, however, we’ve discovered that BMI is not the most accurate way to measure just how much of our weight can be attributed to body fat.

And when body fat is associated with a deadly cancer, this really matters…

What is hormone-positive breast cancer?

Contrary to what you may think, there’s more than one type of breast cancer.

Estrogen receptor-positive (ER-positive) breast cancer, also called hormone-positive breast cancer, means there are specific estrogen receptors on the tumor cells.

When estrogen binds with these receptors, it stimulates the cancer cells to grow and reproduce. Therefore, one of the main goals of therapy or intervention with hormone-positive cancer is to reduce hormonal stimulation as much as possible.

Why weight matters for post-menopausal women

Estrogen is made by the ovaries during the years before menopause, but it’s also made in fat cells where enzymes convert other hormones to estrogens. After menopause, fat is the primary source of estrogen production in the body.

So of course, maintaining a healthy weight is a prime way for post-menopausal women to reduce their risk for this type of breast cancer.

But more than weight, the amount of excess fat a woman is carrying is of primary importance in determining her risk for this cancer.

Traditionally, body mass index (BMI) has been the way body fat has been measured.

But now we’re finding that it’s not the most accurate way.

BMI underestimates ER+ breast cancer

BMI does not account for age, sex, or ethnicity. So a team of Spanish researchers used another validated measure of body fat that does account for these factors, known as CUN-BAE.

Both BMI and CUN-BAE numbers were obtained for 1033 white post-menopausal women with breast cancer, as well as for 1143 who were cancer-free but matched for age and sex.

Using BMI, they found an estimated 19.9 percent of breast cancer cases to be hormone-positive, but using the alternative measurement, about 41.9 percent were determined to be hormone-positive.

“Our findings suggest that the population impact could be underestimated when using traditional BMI estimates, and that more accurate measures of body fat, such as CUN-BAE, should be considered when estimating the cancer burden attributable to obesity in postmenopausal breast cancer.”

The team also noted that, when planning effective strategies to prevent breast cancer, this difference is crucial.

Lose weight to reduce risk for ER+ breast cancer

If you’re a woman who is beyond menopause, the best way to help prevent estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, other than maintaining a healthy weight, is to control cholesterol.

Research has shown that byproducts of cholesterol can bind to estrogen receptors and promote the growth of ER+ tumors.

Following a healthy low-fat diet can help you do both…

Whole grain fiber foods, like barley, oats, and brown rice are great at lowering cholesterol. A high-fiber diet promotes the binding of both cholesterol and estrogen in the colon, which reduces reabsorption.

In fact, a Swedish study found that fiber intake from fruit and cereal may play a role in reducing breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women, particularly.

But cutting down on dairy fat and saturated fats is also a must.

Other foods can help tame estrogen and guard against cancer as well, including:

Manuka honey. Researchsuggests that this medicinal honey could be developed into a natural supplement or even a standalone treatment for ER-positive breast cancer, especially for patients who experience resistance to the commonly used therapies.

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and kale contain diindolylmethane (DIM), a compound that promotes the healthy metabolism of estrogen.

Green tea. Green tea contains powerful polyphenols that have proven to play a role in resisting a variety of cancers — liver, breast, prostate, lung and skin cancers, among others.

Don’t forget to exercise. Combining aerobics and strength training gets you the most cancer protection from both cancer incidence and mortality.

Sources:

Around 40% of postmenopausal hormone positive breast cancers linked to excess body fat — Eureka Alert

Burden of postmenopausal breast cancer attributable to excess body weight: comparative study of body mass index and CUN-BAE in MCC-Spain study — Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health

The post The underestimated factor for ER+ breast cancer 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®.

It possesses antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, in addition to rich levels of compounds like flavonoids, phytochemicals, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, amino acids and minerals.

That nutritional resume may be why several healing uses are attributed to Manuka honey related to wound healing, strep throat, gingivitis, gut health and even bladder infections.

But most compelling is that some compounds in Manuka honey have demonstrated anticancer potential at a molecular level by inhibiting pathways activated in cancer that induce tumor cell proliferation, growth and metastasis.

Here’s what researchers think future breast cancer treatments with Manuka honey could look like…

Improving breast cancer treatment

Estrogen Receptor-positive (ER-positive) breast cancer is a type of breast cancer that has estrogen receptors in the cancer cells. It’s especially challenging and requires specialized treatment, including endocrine therapy, a hormone treatment that prevents hormones like estrogen and progesterone from attaching to receptors on breast cancer cells.

Tamoxifen is a commonly used drug in ER-positive breast cancer therapy but resistance to the drug is significant.

Scientists at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have been interested in one of the mechanisms of action of Manuka honey that could make it an effective adjuvant in the treatment of hormone-sensitive breast cancer.

And that is its ability to block estrogen receptors.

When the scientists put Manuka up against breast cancer, both alone and in combination with tamoxifen — the results were impressive…

In preclinical experiments in mice and in ER-positive MCF-7 and triple-negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines, which represent two of the most common types of breast cancer, the researchers found that Manuka honey:

• Significantly reduced tumor growth in ER-positive breast cancer (the most common type of breast cancer) by 84 percent without affecting normal breast cells or causing major side effects.
• Reduced levels of signaling pathways involved in tumor cell growth and survival.
• Lowered the proliferation of cancer cells but did not affect the growth of normal human cells, indicating it might target cancer cells specifically.
• Caused apoptosis (or cell death) of breast cancer cells.
• Enhanced the effectiveness of existing treatments such as tamoxifen, when used in combination.

“The findings provide hope for development of a natural, less toxic alternative to traditional chemotherapy,” said Dr. Diana Marquez-Garban, associate professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and the study’s first author.

Using medicinal honey

The findings suggest that Manuka honey could potentially be developed into a natural supplement or even a standalone treatment for ER-positive breast cancer, especially for patients who experience resistance to the commonly used therapies.

“Although more research is necessary to fully understand the benefits of natural compounds in cancer therapy, this study establishes a strong foundation for further exploration in this area,” added Dr. Marquez-Garbon.

Until then, Manuka honey would make a great addition to any medicine cabinet, especially if bladder infections or urinary tract infections (UTIs) get you down.

Manuka honey has been shown to halt the growth of bacteria that cause chronic UTIs and prevent them from forming biofilms (a thin layer of bacteria that adhere to your bladder and are notoriously antibiotic-resistant.)

So if you live with the pain of chronic bladder infections (or just want to improve your bladder health), try this combination of Manuka honey, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and hot water.

Sources:

Preliminary study shows potential of Manuka honey as a nutraceutical for breast cancer – EurekAlert!

A ‘sweet’ solution to antibiotic-resistant lung infections – Easy Health Options

The natural ‘antibiotic’ that could fend off strep throat – Easy Health Options

The post Manuka honey strengthens fight against ER+ breast cancer appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

While one in 31 American women dies from breast cancer each year, heart disease is the cause of one out of every three deaths in women.

Shockingly, risk assessment tools for heart disease that are specific to women are sorely lacking.

But a routine medical procedure most women undergo at least yearly has identified a common denominator that could save more women’s lives…

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It’s different in women

There are very real differences between the way heart disease affects women as compared with men.

For one thing, women have risk factors that men just don’t, such as gestational diabetes and endometriosis.

For another, women have smaller hearts and narrower blood vessels. This means that a woman’s symptoms can differ greatly from the “typical” heart attack symptoms experienced by men.

Finally, women are more likely to suffer from diseases that mimic a heart attack, says Dr. Michelle O’Donoghue, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

These diseases include takotsubo syndrome, also called “broken heart syndrome,” in which changes in the heart muscle resemble a heart attack, but there are no blocked arteries.

Mammograms could predict heart disease

A new study followed the mammograms of nearly 400 women for 18 years, looking for one specific finding: breast arterial calcifications.

We’re all familiar with arterial calcification, also known as vascular calcification, which can lead to atherosclerosis. However a similar buildup of calcium can occur within the middle layer of the breast’s arterial wall, showing up as white parallel lines on a mammogram.

The condition is benign, but this study found a startling correlation between women with breast arterial calcification and women who also had heart disease.

Women with breast arterial calcification were 23 percent more likely to experience a type of heart disease in which plaque buildup in the walls of their arteries limits blood flow from the heart to the body’s other organs — compared to just 13.9 percent in women without breast arterial calcification.

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Microcalcification: A common denominator

This revelation gives women yet another good reason to get a regular mammogram. But, in addition to getting checked yearly, you can start lowering your risks right now…

Get off your duff. As a writer who sits for hours, I’m taking this one seriously. Researchers at Oxford University found that women of every age can reduce the risk of heart disease (and stroke) immediately and significantly by doing one simple thing: Exercising for at least 10 minutes, just 2-3 times per week.

Eat Mediterranean. An analysis of existing studies from just a year ago found that sticking closely to a Mediterranean diet was not only associated with a 24 percent lower risk of heart disease in women but a 23 percent lower risk of death.

Supplementing vitamin K2: Many experts believe calcification should be viewed as a contributor to the pathological aging process. That’s why an emerging group of vitamins is getting a lot of attention for their impact on this common contributor of unhealthy aging, particularly vitamin K2 and the subtype MK-7.

Low K2 levels are associated with calcification and an elevated risk of heart problems. Without adequate levels, processes don’t work optimally that help direct the calcium you take in regularly to areas it’s needed, like your bones.

Other factors can also affect the deposition of calcium in various parts of the body including:

Inflammation: Inflammation can damage tissue anywhere in the body. When it does, the body releases proteins that cause the calcium to bind together in clumps.

Calcium metabolism disorders: These can lead to hypercalcemia, which occurs when there is too much calcium in the blood.

Some autoimmune disorders: Because they can affect the skeletal system and connective tissues, they can cause calcification.

Sources:

Breast arterial calcification could be warning sign of heart disease — Eureka Alert

Breast arterial calcifications linked to cardiovascular disease risk — Contemporary OB/GYN

Frequency, Type, and Volume of Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Young Women — Circulation

The post The heart disease warning a mammogram shows appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Urinary incontinence affects more than half of middle-aged women and up to 80 percent of women by the time they reach their senior years.

Not only is it an embarrassing and socially isolating condition, but it can present unexpected dangers…

An overactive bladder is among the biggest risk factors for falls and fractures among senior women. A broken hip is the last thing anyone needs.

Of course, doctors can dole out anticholinergic drugs for bladder control. But unless you’re an avid reader of medical journals like me, you may be unaware that these drugs are associated with a high risk of cognitive decline.

Anticholinergics trick nerve impulses that signal muscles involved in actions like urination, coughing and sneezing by blocking the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. But acetylcholine is also critical for memory function — and there’s scientific speculation that tricking it has devastating effects on the brain and could lead to cognitive decline.

The good news is that prescription drugs aren’t the only way to regain control of your bladder.

You could do it just by picking up a healthy habit at home — and don’t worry, I’m not suggesting those confounding Kegel exercises that are so difficult to master…

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An easier way to master your bladder

A Stanford study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine included women ages 45 to 90 who suffered from urinary incontinence issues an average of 3.4 times a day.

All the participants tried either a hatha yoga program, intended to strengthen the pelvic floor or a low-impact activity that included stretching and strengthening exercises that did not intentionally engage the pelvic floor.

All women exercised for 90 minutes, two times a week, along with an additional shorter, one-hour session. And the results were phenomenal…

Both groups — whether doing yoga for pelvic floor strengthening or simple low-impact exercises — experienced about 65 percent fewer incontinence episodes in just 12 weeks!

According to the researchers, these benefits are on par with the effects of those medications used to address incontinence — but with only good side effects, like stronger muscles and a healthier body.

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Safe support for a stronger bladder

Not only is low-impact yoga or exercise good for a stronger bladder, but numerous studies have shown a connection to a stronger, plump brain that scores better on cognitive tests. In my book, that makes it a better choice than questionable drugs.

Even better, you don’t have to be a yoga master to master your bladder…

Certain nutrients available in common foods can target your weak detrusor muscle — a collection of smooth muscle fibers in the walls of your bladder — and strengthen your ability to control urine elimination. They’ve been shown to work for both men and women!

I’m talking about pumpkin seed extract and soy germ isoflavones…

• Native Americans used pumpkin seeds as an age-old remedy for bladder, kidney and digestive problems. In fact, pumpkin seeds and their oil have been used in traditional medicine for centuries. They contain potassium, magnesium and zinc which help calm and relax bladder muscles, reducing that desperate urgency to urinate.
• Soy isoflavones are natural plant estrogens called phytoestrogens. They naturally support balanced hormones — an important key to healthy bladder function. Balanced testosterone and estrogen help sustain the strength of the bladder muscles and pelvic floor.

Avoid the adult diaper aisle at the drugstore. Just add a little exercise to your day and some delicious pumpkin seeds and other phytoestrogen-rich foods including berries, grapes, almonds, tofu, miso soup or broccoli.

You can also seek out a bladder formula that might fit the bill and help you cut that invisible leash that keeps you from getting too far from the nearest restroom.

Sources:

Anticholinergic drugs and incident dementia, mild cognitive impairment and cognitive decline: a meta-analysis – NIH

Low-impact yoga and exercise found to help older women manage urinary incontinence – Science Daily

Pumpkin Seed Oil Extracted From Cucurbita maxima Improves Urinary Disorder in Human Overactive Bladder — Journal of Traditional and Complimentary Medicine

Dietary soy isoflavone replacement improves detrusor overactivity of ovariectomized rats with altered connexin-43 expression in the urinary bladder — BJU International

The post The bladder exercise better than confounding Kegels appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

And no, it’s not caused by poor hygiene. It’s a common vaginal infection caused by an imbalance of bacteria in the vaginal microbiome.

More than half of women worldwide will experience the uncomfortable condition at some time in their life. Simply spending time in a hot tub, swimming pool or douching can upset the vagina’s natural chemistry — and therein lies the trouble…

Antibiotics are the most common course of treatment for bacterial vaginosis, but the infection commonly returns even after treatment, partly because they can upset the vagina’s balance of good bacteria.

Now a Harvard scientist has stumbled upon a natural substance we all carry in our bodies that could prevent these repeat infections.

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An accidental discovery

While trying to find ways to encourage the growth of a beneficial species of bacteria, MIT professor, Dr. Meilin Zhu, stumbled upon a discovery that would make all the difference.

She and other scientists from Harvard, MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital have found that oleic acid, one of the most abundant fatty acids in the human body, could be the answer to restoring a healthy balance of vaginal microbes.

You’re probably very familiar with the omega-3 fatty acids and maybe even the omega-6s. But oleic acid is an omega-9.

The human female genital tract is naturally populated by various bacterial species in the Lactobacillus genus. Antibiotics encourage the growth of the species Lactobacillus iners, which encourages BV recurrence.

It seems that oleic acid, a major component of our cell membranes, inhibits the growth of L. iners while at the same time encouraging the growth of L. csrispatus, a strain of lactobacillus that promotes the balance of bacteria needed to prevent vaginal infections.

In other words, oleic acid could one day be part of a treatment that prevents bacterial vaginosis.

“We believe there is exciting potential to translate these findings to durably alter the vaginal microbiome to improve BV treatment and reduce adverse health outcomes for women globally,” says Dr. Douglas Kwon, co-senior author of the study.

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Getting oleic acid from your diet

While this research is still ongoing, there’s no harm in adding foods to your diet that are rich in oleic acid.

In fact, oleic acid foods are among some of the healthiest, known for supporting heart and brain health and guarding against insulin resistance

Foods with oleic acid aren’t hard to find either…

The easiest way to get some is to grab a bottle of olive oil when you’re cooking or dressing a salad. And always go for extra-virgin olive oil, which has the highest content of oleic acid and other omega-9 fatty acids.

Other foods that will add oleic acid to your diet include:

• avocados (and avocado oil)
• nuts
• sunflower seeds
• eggs
• olives
• chicken
• cheese

Eating oleic acid-rich foods every day will certainly promote head-to-toe health and may help restore the bacterial balance you need to avoid vaginosis at the same time.

Editor’s Note: You’re invited to join a tiny handful of Americans who enjoy rare, fresh-pressed olive oil all year long. Take my word for it, there’s a difference in taste, quality and benefit! Click here to learn more…

Sources:

A common fatty acid may help restore healthy vaginal bacteria after infection — Eureka Alert

Vaginal Lactobacillus fatty acid response mechanisms reveal a metabolite-targeted strategy for bacterial vaginosis treatment — Cell

How is bacterial vaginosis different from a yeast infection? — Medical News Today

Nut consumption, serum fatty acid profile and estimated coronary heart disease risk in type 2 diabetes — Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases

The post The omega fatty acid solution for that itchy feminine infection appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

A night or two of shortened sleep can make you irritable and result in brain fog and memory problems. But chronic sleep problems can lead to much worse — like increasing the risk of diabetes, hypertension, dementia, depression, heart disease and respiratory disease.

These impacts may be worse for women than men, especially on the cardiometabolic front. Researchers at Columbia University decided to examine this phenomenon, and what they found isn’t good news for women who have trouble sleeping…

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How sleep deficiency impacts insulin

It can be difficult to study the health impacts of chronic sleep loss. Laboratory studies have shown a brief period of total or partial sleep deprivation impairs glucose metabolism. However, these studies don’t reflect the typical mild sleep deprivation a lot of people experience, when they get by on roughly six hours of sleep for long stretches of time.

So researchers decided to look at the impact of mild, chronic sleep deprivation by enrolling 38 healthy women, including 11 postmenopausal women, who routinely slept for at least seven hours a night.

“Throughout their lifespan, women face many changes in their sleep habits due to childbearing, child-rearing, and menopause. And more women than men have the perception they aren’t getting enough sleep,” says study leader Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a Columbia professor and director of the Center of Excellence for Sleep and Circadian Research at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

The participants underwent two study phases in random order. In one phase, they were asked to maintain their usual sleep patterns. In the other, they were asked to delay their bedtime by an hour and a half, which shortened their total sleep time to roughly six hours. Each phase lasted six weeks. Compliance was measured with wearable devices, and researchers measured insulin, glucose and body fat throughout the study.

Results showed that shortening sleep by 90 minutes for six weeks increased fasting insulin levels by over 12 percent overall and by more than 15 percent in postmenopausal women. Plus, insulin resistance rose by nearly 15 percent overall and by more than 20 percent among postmenopausal women. Average blood sugar levels remained stable for all participants throughout the study.

“Over a longer period of time, ongoing stress on insulin-producing cells could cause them to fail, eventually leading to type 2 diabetes,” St-Onge says. 

That means getting enough sleep each night may lead to better blood sugar control and reduced type 2 diabetes risk, especially among postmenopausal women.

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Preventing a sleep deficit

Previous studies have suggested people whose sleep amounts vary from day to day have a higher risk of diabetes. So the researchers next step will be to examine if stabilizing sleep patterns among people with variable sleep schedules improves blood sugar control.

Additional studies will look at whether restoring sleep for people perpetually short on sleep may improve glucose metabolism.

Restoring sleep is simple to talk about, but hard to do for many people who struggle with chronic sleep deficit. But, as we’ve noted in past articles, there are a number of steps you can take to improve the quality and duration of your sleep — including adopting the bedtime routine of a toddler (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!). The key may be finding what works best for you.

Just one thing — if you sleep with a night light, stop. That too has a crazy impact on your metabolism and glucose tolerance.

Sources:

Shortening sleep time increases diabetes risk in women — EurekAlert!

Chronic Insufficient Sleep in Women Impairs Insulin Sensitivity Independent of Adiposity Changes: Results of a Randomized Trial — Diabetes Care

Why Lightbulb Choices Matter — Natural Eye Care

The post The surprising deficiency that could raise diabetes risk 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®.

Until now, inherited baldness (which accounts for most cases) has been treated with drugs that carry some serious side effects.

But now science has accidentally discovered a much simpler and safer remedy…

Inherited hair loss: androgenic alopecia

Almost all men and women will notice hair loss or hair thinning as they age. However, up to 40% of men and women will experience a more obvious form of this condition, with hair loss typically beginning as early as their twenties and thirties — and for women, after menopause.

This condition is known as androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness. It’s caused by a combination of genetics, hormone levels, and the aging process. In women, it’s known as female pattern baldness.

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Is this why I’m losing my hair?

It’s easy to distinguish androgenic alopecia from more normal hair loss (we normally lose 50 to 100 hairs a day).

Pattern baldness, as the name implies, follows distinct patterns that are different for men and women.

In men, hair loss will follow one of three patterns:

• begins at the temples and/or crown of the head
• a single bald spot
• a receding hairline that forms an “M” shape

In women, thinning begins at the part line, sometimes appearing all over the head. Hair at the temples may also recede.

Treatments for alopecia

Two drugs are used to treat pattern baldness.

Minoxidil is FDA-approved for both men and women. To use Minoxidil, apply it to your scalp every day. Though it won’t fully restore the hair you’ve lost, it can grow back a significant amount, and give an overall thicker appearance.

Propecia is only FDA-approved for men. Used consistently, it slows down hair loss and thickens hair within about three months.

Unfortunately, both these drugs carry side effects.

When using minoxidil, you could experience weight gain, tachycardia (fast heartbeat), headaches, fluid retention, and dizziness. Propecia can cause decreased libido and erectile dysfunction, depression, even male breast cancer.

In addition, if you stop using them, the hair loss will resume.

But now, researchers have stumbled on what may be a simple, safe way to treat pattern baldness.

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An unexpected discovery for hair loss treatments

While studying the natural sugar deoxyribose (the ‘deoxyribose’ part of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA) and how it healed wounds in mice when applied topically, scientists noticed that the fur around the treated wounds was growing back faster than in untreated mice.

So, they dug a little deeper.

They removed the fur from the backs of male mice with testosterone-driven hair loss and smeared some deoxyribose sugar gel daily on the shaved areas. Sure enough, within weeks there was robust hair regrowth in those areas.

In fact, the researchers found that it worked just as well as minoxidil!

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“Our research suggests that the answer to treating hair loss might be as simple as using a naturally occurring deoxyribose sugar to boost the blood supply to the hair follicles to encourage hair growth,” says tissue engineer Sheila MacNeil from the University of Sheffield.

Further investigation is planned on female mice to determine its effectiveness — and it may be a while before it turns into a product we can put to use. But it’s looking hopeful that stopping and reversing hair loss is going to become a lot safer.

When I hear about the results, I’ll report them here, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, there are some reports and small studies that indicate honey is great for healthy hair and may even promote hair growth. There are honey-based hair products already on the market. Avoid applying actual honey to your scalp, unless very diluted. Honey is sometimes used as an alternative to wax for hair removal since it’s super sticky.

Sources:

Surprise Hair Loss Breakthrough: Sugar Gel Triggers Robust Regrowth — Science Alert

Stimulation of hair regrowth in an animal model of androgenic alopecia using 2-deoxy-D-ribose — Frontiers in Pharmacology

Hereditary-patterned baldness — Harvard Health Publishing

The post Sweet news about safer treatments for hair loss appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It’s one that if caught early carries a 93 percent chance of surviving five years — but when caught late, the outlook dwindles to a 90 percent chance of dying within those five years.

The disease is ovarian cancer.

And according to research published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, these are the three symptoms that should trigger immediate testing, so that women can get the early treatment they need to increase their survival chances.

The importance of symptom-triggered testing

The researchers specifically recommend what’s known as ‘symptom-triggered’ testing.

That means that if you have the symptoms, your doctor should order testing right away — not tell you it’s probably nothing or sit around waiting to see if things get better, while cancer could be growing.

And they say that the symptoms to watch for when it comes to ovarian cancer are:

• Pain
• Abdominal bloating/swelling
• Feeling full soon after starting to eat

Their research of over 1,700 women showed that testing triggered by these symptoms can pick up early-stage aggressive ovarian cancer in one in four of those affected. And complete surgical removal of the cancerous tissue was possible in 60 percent of those diagnosed in this way.

In other words, symptom-based testing can help ensure that the most common type of ovarian cancer is caught early when chances of treatment and even complete removal are best.

It’s important to note there are additional symptoms women should bring up to their doctors that should also trigger testing, like changes in bowel or bladder habits and nausea or vomiting.

What should happen if you have these symptoms?

According to the American Cancer Society, about half of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are 63 or older. So whether you’re younger or on the mature side, regular gynecological visits are also very important, but every woman should see their doctor if they have any of these symptoms.

Two tests are used most often for screening, in addition to a complete pelvic exam. They are transvaginal ultrasound and the CA-125 blood test.

So if your doctor doesn’t pay as much attention to your symptoms as you’d like, remember you can always get a second opinion to pursue testing.

Reducing your risks of ovarian cancer

Additionally, there are lifestyle factors that can help to cut down on your risk of this and other cancers. These include:

• Quitting tobacco
• Reducing alcohol intake
• Increasing exercise (research has shown even concerning a genetic cancer predisposition, high-intensity training enhances how the body fights cancer at its earliest stages)
• Eating healthy foods (especially ones that fight cancer)
• Lowering your body mass index (an increased BMI is associated with a greater risk for ovarian cancer with worse overall survival)

All of these help cut down on the amount of inflammation in your body, which is associated with developing cancer.

Finally, if your symptom-triggered testing does show ovarian cancer, you might consider harnessing the power of hemp, in addition to traditional medical care, to help your body fight back.

That’s because hemp extract has been shown to slow down metastasis of ovarian cancer cells and reduce the secretion of a compound known as interleukin IL-1 beta.

That’s important because interleukins produce inflammation that’s been linked to cancer development and progression. In other words by preventing interleukin secretion, the hemp could protect against the development of ovarian cancer or slow it down if you’ve already been diagnosed.

Sources:

‘Symptom triggered’ testing can pick up early stage aggressive ovarian cancer in 1 in 4 of those affected — EurekAlert!

Key Statistics for Ovarian Cancer — American Cancer Society

How to reduce your risk of ovarian cancer — Indiana University Health

The post 3 symptoms of ovarian cancer you shouldn’t ignore appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Men get them, too. But a whopping 60% of women will experience the discomfort and pain of a UTI at some point in their life.

And if you’re one of the really unfortunate women out there, UTIs can become a chronic problem. You go from one infection to the next, and if things get bad enough, your doctor will put you on long-term antibiotics just to head off the next one.

But antibiotic resistance is fueled by just such constant use of these drugs.

In fact, the World Health Organization found that one of the antibiotics most widely used to treat UTIs already has a 50% resistance rate— which means this antibiotic is now ineffective for half of all people who try it.

Fortunately, there are natural alternatives to antibiotics (more about that in a minute).

And now, a discovery about where the bacteria that cause UTIs actually live promises to reduce the need to overuse the antibiotics that treat these infections.

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Treat the bladder AND the vagina to end the loop

Until lately, it’s been widely assumed that these infection-causing bacteria live only in a woman’s bladder — in fact, UTIs are also associated with bladder infections. But a recent study has proven otherwise…

A team led by Dr. Takanori Sekito of Okayama University’s Graduate School of Medicine analyzed samples taken from both the bladder and the vagina of infected women. They found that the bacteria in both places were genetically identical.

And, as the bacteria get passed back and forth between the vagina and the bladder, they create infections that are almost impossible to treat.

As Dr. Sekito explains, “The vagina can serve as a reservoir of enteric bacteria, including E. coli, and cystitis can become intractable.” In other words, with the bacteria causing infection in both places, it becomes a recurring loop of agony for many women.

This discovery opens the door to more effective treatment and prevention that doesn’t involve antibiotics.

I’ll let Dr. Sekito explain:

“We are developing Lactobacillus vaginal suppositories, as a means of prevention and treatment of recurrent cystitis. This new ‘non-antimicrobial’ prevention will reduce the unnecessary administration of antimicrobials and the consequent emergence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. The Lactobacillus suppositories will effectively regulate the vaginal environment and reduce the virulence of E. coli.”

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Cutting down on UTIs

A vaginal suppository that could short-circuit the cycle of recurring UTIs would be a game-changer for women.

But until those suppositories are on the market, there’s no need to suffer. There is a lot of science behind other natural ways to attack these nasty infections, including traditional sources or probiotics…

Probiotics. Strains of lactobacillus, the bacterial family found in probiotic foods such as sauerkraut, pickles, yogurt, and probiotic supplements, have been found to cling to the vaginal walls and to be active against the main pathogens responsible for UTIs. Probiotics specifically branded for women to support urinary health are already on the market and feature Lactobacillus strains.

But you must also feed those good bacteria prebiotics to sustain the balance of good bacteria. That’s easy enough — prebiotics are found in bananas, oats, asparagus, flax seeds, apples and of course supplements.

Cranberries. It’s been anecdotal for decades, but research has finally shown that cranberries can keep UTIs away.The proanthocyanidins (a type of polyphenol) they contain keep E. coli from sticking to the urinary tract lining.

Manuka honey. Produced by bees that pollinate the Manuka tree, native to New Zealand, Manuka honey can stop the growth of urinary tract-causing bacteria and prevent them from forming biofilms (a thin layer of bacteria that adhere to your bladder and cause chronic or recurring bladder infections). Antibiotics typically can’t touch these biofilms because the bacteria in them are notoriously antibiotic-resistant.

In addition, wearing loose-fitting clothing, drinking plenty of water, fully emptying your bladder when you urinate and taking vitamin C can help.

Sources:

A tale of two “niches”: The microbial connection between urinary bladder and vagina — Eureka Alert

Are probiotics good for vaginal health? — Cleveland Clinic

Homology of Escherichia coli isolated from urine and vagina and their antimicrobial susceptibility in postmenopausal women with recurrent cystitis — Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy

The post Stopping ‘recurring loop of infection’ can end chronic UTI appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

There’s been a lot of conflicting information on weight and health status. But most experts agree that maintaining a healthy weight can improve many areas of health.

But a history of obesity can still carry a serious risk that women, especially, need to keep an eye on…

Research has found that women who were once overweight carry a much higher risk of stroke than women who never experience weight problems.

But armed with this information, you can take steps to avoid stroke…

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Ischemic stroke: when a clot keeps blood from the brain

A Finnish study looked at 10,000 adults (both male and female) and found that women now in their 50s who were overweight or obese as a teen or younger adult have a markedly higher risk of suffering an ischemic stroke.

Of the two major types of stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic), ischemic strokes are far more common, accounting for about 87% of all strokes.

In an ischemic stroke, blood flow to the brain is blocked by a blood clot. The clot usually originates in an artery leading to the brain. It can also break loose from an artery elsewhere in the body and travel to the brain.

The study: what exactly are the risks?

After following their 10,000 study subjects from 1980 to 2020, the Finnish researchers concluded that:

• Women who were obese at age 14 were 87% more likely to have an early clot-caused or mini-stroke before age 55.
• Women who were obese at age 31 are 167% more likely to have a stroke compared to those who were not obese or overweight.

Here’s one interesting finding: men do not seem to be subject to these same risks.

Why women and not men?

The study drew no conclusions as to why women run this risk while men seem to get a pass.

However, things we know about perimenopause and menopause offer a partial explanation…

Most women enter perimenopause, the “pre-menopause” phase of life, in their early 40s and some as early as their late 30s.

During this time, estrogen levels plummet, and women lose the heart-protective effects of this hormone. For this reason, entering menopause before age 45 is just one of several factors unique to women that increase stroke risk.

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How women can protect themselves

In addition to heart disease, diabetes and atrial fibrillation can impact stroke risk. Management of these health conditions is vital to reducing stroke risk.

Healthy lifestyle factors should be part of that:

• Diet. Women whose diets are high in triglycerides are four times more likely to have a stroke than women with lower levels. A Mediterranean-inspired diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy products, poultry, fish and nuts contains phytosterols, fiber and omega-3s that decrease triglycerides.
• Protective foods. Penn State research found that eating beets may give heart protection back to menopausal women.
• Exercising for at least 150 minutes each week is proven to prevent heart disease. Weight or resistance training less than a hour a week reduced risk for heart attack and stroke by 40 to 70 percent.
• Blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Research shows that high blood pressure and cholesterol levels raise the risk of heart disease. So, keep those numbers down during middle age for the sake of your heart. Yoga can help take your stroke number down 10 more points!
• Stress levels. Stress contributes to high blood pressure, which means it’s hard on the heart. Find ways to keep your stress levels down, like meditation, yoga, bodywork or even relaxing hobbies like gardening, sewing or woodworking.
• Smoking status. Not only does smoking increase the risk of early menopause, it also increases the risk of blood clots, decreases the flexibility of your arteries and lowers HDL (healthy) cholesterol levels — all of which are bad news for your heart health.

Just a couple of years ago, A study published in Stroke, a journal of the American Heart Association, found that drinking two or more diet drinks per day doubled stroke risk in some post-menopausal women. So, if you’re fan of diet drinks, think about ditching them, pronto.

Sources:

Women with excess weight as a teen or young adult may have higher stroke risk by age 55 — Eureka Alert

Overweight in Adolescence and Young Adulthood in Association With Adult Cerebrovascular Disease: The NFBC1966 Study — Stroke

Women and stroke: What you need to know — Mayo Clinic

Heart health after menopause — American Heart Association

The post A complex relationship: women, weight and high stroke risk appeared first on Easy Health Options®.