Healthy Nutrition during Menopause
It is known that menopause is an important developmental phase in woman’s life. Menopause can occur as part of natural biological aging or as a result of surgical or medical procedures and has been associated with an increased risk of some of the chronic diseases ranging from cardiometabolic dysfunction to musculoskeletal conditions to chronic pain (1-4). Studies have shown that the timing of the menopause may also be linked to increased disease risks with early menopause linking to increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), kidney disease and dementia in comparison to later menopause (5-7).
It is well known that across the stages of the menopause transition, as estrogen levels drop, impairment of the endothelial function and accelaration of vascular aging have been reported (8). Additionally recent studies have showed obesity, cancer, endometriosis, CVD and poor cognitive function are all marked by gut dysbiosis and they can be estrogen-modulated conditions, which means downfalling estrogen can contribute to developing those diseases (9). Further, hormonal changes in aging patients have been associated with greater risks of frailty and disability likely due to disruptions along several homronal axes rather than deficiency of one hormone (10).
Now, research studies continue to emphasize the importance and benefits of incorporating life-style based approaches such as nutrition, exercise and supplementation where required. In summary, healthy lifestyle can affect both longevity and quality of life in women at menopause and during postmenopausal years (11) and understanding the health impact of lifestyle habits during this phase of life is important. With functional medicine, a patient centred framework promotes collaboration between patinet and clinical practitioner to fully involve the patient in their healing and health. Functional medicine practitioner starts from full holistic and personlised assessment and use many lifetsyle-based techniques and tools in their clinical strategies to help patinets achieve optimal health in all stages of life.
Wang M, Gan W, Kartsonaki C, et al. Menopausal status, age at natural menopause and risk of diabetes in China: a 10-year prospective study of 300,000 women. Nutr Metab. 2022;19(1):7. doi:10.1186/s12986-022-00643-x
Jeong HG, Park H. Metabolic disorders in menopause. Metabolites. 2022;12(10):954. doi:10.3390/metabo12100954
Management of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women: the 2021 position statement of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause. 2021;28(9):973-997. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000001831
Gibson CJ, Li Y, Bertenthal D, Huang AJ, Seal KH. Menopause symptoms and chronic pain in a national sample of midlife women veterans. Menopause. 2019;26(7):708-713. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000001312
Zhu D, Chung HF, Dobson AJ, et al. Type of menopause, age of menopause and variations in the risk of incident cardiovascular disease: pooled analysis of individual data from 10 international studies. Hum Reprod. 2020;35(8):1933-1943. doi:10.1093/humrep/deaa124
Qian D, Wang ZF, Cheng YC, Luo R, Ge SW, Xu G. Early menopause may associate with a higher risk of CKD and all-cause mortality in postmenopausal women: an analysis of NHANES, 1999-2014. Front Med (Lausanne). 2022;9:823835. doi:10.3389/fmed.2022.823835
Liao H, Cheng J, Pan D, et al. Association of earlier age at menopause with risk of incident dementia, brain structural indices and the potential mediators: a prospective community-based cohort study. EClinicalMedicine. 2023;60:102033. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102033
Hildreth KL, Ozemek C, Kohrt WM, Blatchford PJ, Moreau KL. Vascular dysfunction across the stages of the menopausal transition is associated with menopausal symptoms and quality of life. Menopause. 2018;25(9):1011-1019. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000001112
Baker JM, Al-Nakkash L, Herbst-Kralovetz MM. Estrogen-gut microbiome axis: physiological and clinical implications. Maturitas. 2017;103:45-53. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2017.06.025
Clegg A, Hassan-Smith Z. Frailty and the endocrine system. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2018;6(9):743-752. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(18)30110-4
Silva TR, Oppermann K, Reis FM, Spritzer PM. Nutrition in menopausal women: a narrative review. Nutrients. 2021;13(7):2149. doi:10.3390/nu13072149
