Keeping Healthy throughout Menopause
KEEPING HEALTHY
Good nutrition and regular physical exercise are thought to improve
overall health. Some doctors feel these factors can also affect menopause.
Although these areas have not been well studied in women, anecdotal evidence is
strongly in favor of eating well and exercising to help lower risks for CVD and
osteoporosis.
| There is no consensus within the medical community
about the risks and benefits associated with hormone therapy. There is no
agreement on normal hormonal changes associated with
aging. |
Nutrition
While everyone agrees that a well-balanced diet is important for good
health, there is still much to be learned about what constitutes
"well-balanced." We do know that variety in the diet helps ensure a better mix
of essential nutrients.
Nutritional requirements vary from person to person and change with age. A
healthy premenopausal woman should have about 1,000 mgs of calcium per day. A
1994 Consensus Conference at the National Institutes of Health recommended that
women after menopause consume 1,500 mgs per day if they are not using hormonal
replacement or 1,000 mgs per day in conjunction with hormonal replacement. Foods
high in calcium include milk, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products; oysters,
sardines and canned salmon with bones; and dark-green leafy vegetables like
spinach and broccoli. In calcium tablets, calcium carbonate is most easily
absorbed by the body. If you are lactose intolerant, acidophilus milk is more
digestible. Vitamin D is also very important for calcium absorption and bone
formation. A 1992 study showed that women with postmenopausal osteoporosis who
took vitamin D for 3 years significantly reduced the occurrence of new spinal
fractures. However, the issue is still controversial. High doses of vitamin D
can cause kidney stones, constipation, or abdominal pain, particularly in women
with existing kidney problems. Other nutritional guidelines by the National
Research Council include:
- Choose foods low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Fats contain
more calories (9 calories per gram) than either carbohydrates or protein (each
have only 4 calories per gram). Fat intake should be less than 30 percent of
daily calories.
- Eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grain cereal products, especially those
high in vitamin C and carotene. These include oranges, grapefruit, carrots,
winter squash, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and green leafy vegetables.
These foods are good sources of vitamins and minerals and the major sources of
dietary fiber. Fiber helps maintain bowel mobility and may reduce the risk of
colon cancer. Young and older people alike are encouraged to consume 20 to 30
grams of fiber per day.
- Eat very little salt-cured and smoked foods such as sausages, smoked fish
and ham, bacon, bologna, and hot dogs. High blood pressure, which may become
more serious with heavy salt intake, is more of a risk as you age.
- Avoid food and drinks containing processed sugar. Sugar contains empty
calories which may substitute for nutritious food and can add excess body
weight.
For people who can't eat an adequate diet, supplements may be necessary. A
dietician should tailor these to meet your individual nutritional needs. Using
supplements without supervision can be risky because large doses of some
vitamins may have serious side effects. Vitamins A and D in large doses can be
particularly dangerous.
As you age, your body requires less energy because of a decline in
physical activity and a loss of lean body mass. Raising your activity level will
increase your need for energy and help you avoid gaining weight. Weight gain
often occurs in menopausal women, possibly due in part to declining estrogen. In
animal studies, scientists found that estrogen is important in regulating weight
gain. Animals with their ovaries surgically removed gained weight, even if they
were fed the same diet as the animals with intact ovaries. They also found that
progesterone counteracts the effect of estrogen. The higher their progesterone
levels, the more the animals ate.
Exercise
Exercise is extremely important throughout a woman's lifetime and
particularly as she gets older. Regular exercise benefits the heart and bones,
helps regulate weight, and contributes to a sense of overall well-being and
improvement in mood. If you are physically inactive you are far more prone to
coronary heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and
osteoporosis. Sedentary women may also suffer more from chronic back pain,
stiffness, insomnia, and irregularity. They often have poor circulation, weak
muscles, shortness of breath, and loss of bone mass. Depression can also be a
problem. Women who regularly walk, jog, swim, bike, dance, or perform some other
aerobic activity can more easily circumvent these problems and also achieve
higher HDL cholesterol levels. Studies show that women performing aerobic
activity or muscle-strength training reduced mortality from CVD and cancer.
Just like muscles, bones adhere to the "use it or lose it" rule; they
diminish in size and strength with disuse. It has been known for more than 100
years that weight-bearing exercise (walking, running) will help increase bone
mass. Exercise stimulates the cells responsible for generating new bone to work
overtime. In the past 20 years, studies have shown that bone tissue lost from
lack of use can be rebuilt with weight-bearing activity. Studies of athletes
show they have greater bone mass compared to nonathletes at the sites related to
their sport. In postmenopausal women, moderate exercise preserves bone mass in
the spine, helping reduce the risk of fractures.
Exercise is also thought to have a positive effect on mood. During
exercise, hormones called endorphins are released in the brain. They are "feel
good" hormones involved in the body's positive response to stress. The
mood-heightening effect can last for several hours, according to some
endocrinologists. Consult your doctor before starting a rigorous exercise
program. He or she will help you decide which types of exercises are best for
you. An exercise program should start slowly and build up to more strenuous
activities. Women who already have osteoporosis of the spine should be careful
about exercise that jolts or puts weight on the back, as it could cause a
fracture.
Reprinted from the Archives of US
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, National
Institute on Aging
Editor's Note: Where to buy
progesterone
Due to readers' requests we have searched
and found
a source of a progesterone cream.
We now sell a progesterone cream
"Pure-gesterone™"
which contains progesterone
as well as herbs.
To find out more about this
product
or to purchase some, click here.
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