Early Menopause Prevention
Eating foods rich in vegetable protein such as enriched pasta, dark bread, cold cereal, soy and tofu seems to help protect against early menopause, which affects 5 to 10 percent of women. Reaching menopause early – before age 45 – is linked to higher risks of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and early cognitive decline. Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health examined the relationship between diet and the timing of menopause among 85,682 women participating in the ongoing Nurses’ Health Study II. Using a list of 131 foods and beverages, the investigators asked the women to report how often they ate a serving of each over the previous year, and then compared their reported eating habits to the women’s age at menopause. They found that for women consuming 6.5 percent of daily calories from sources of vegetable protein there was a 16 percent lower risk of early menopause, compared to women whose vegetable protein intake amounted to approximately 4 percent of their daily calories. The amount of animal protein the women consumed didn’t appear to affect the risk of early menopause.
Source:
Maegan Boutot et al, “Dietary Protein Intake and Early Menopause in the Nurses’ Health Study II.” American Journal of Epidemiology, June 24, 2017, doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwx256
Also in this week’s bulletin:
If you are tired of too many prescriptions – and have had enough of taking medications for ailments that may not require them – then my new book may be for you: Mind Over Meds looks at the problem of overmedication, the science that shows drugs aren’t always the best option, as well as helpful, reliable integrative medicine approaches.
