Diet Influences Hot Flashes in Menopausal Women
In April 2013, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study reporting that diet is related to the occurrence of hot flashes and night sweats in menopausal women. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, hot flashes affect 75 percent of perimenopausal women in the U.S., and approximately 10-20 percent of post-menopausal women will experience severe hot flashes. Furthermore, approximately 25 percent of women who experience hot flashes and night sweats have them for more than five years.
The subjects included 6,040 women who had undergone natural menopause. The researchers assessed the women for dietary intake and vasomotor symptoms at the beginning of the study, and evaluated vasomotor symptoms after three, six and nine years.
Analysis of the data indicated six predominant dietary patterns, including:
• Cooked vegetables
• Fruit
• Mediterranean style
• Meat and processed meat
• Dairy
• High fat and sugar
The investigators found that a higher consumption of the fruit or Mediterranean-style diet was associated with a decrease in vasomotor symptoms. The subjects with the highest intake of fruit had a 19 percent decrease in likelihood of vasomotor symptoms compared to the subjects with the lowest intake.
Similarly, the subjects with the highest intake of a Mediterranean-style diet showed a 20 percent decrease in the likelihood of vasomotor symptoms compared to the subjects with the lowest intake. The subjects with the greatest consumption of the high-fat and high-sugar dietary pattern showed a 23 percent increased risk of vasomotor symptoms compared to the subjects with the lowest intake.
The investigators concluded, “Consumption of a fruit or Mediterranean-style diet decreased the risk of reporting vasomotor symptoms, whereas consumption of a high-fat and -sugar diet increased the risk of vasomotor symptoms. These results may eventually lead to a basis for the development of dietary preventive measures for vasomotor symptoms.”
More Health Info at: www.FaceBook.com/DrMeletis
