High carbs = early menopause

The menopause brings around many challenges for women, from hot flushes (and I mean, HOT!), to sleepless nights, mood-swings and even weight gain. We try many things to reduce the symptoms, from spraying ourselves with Magnesium oils, to pumping our body with hormones, and even drinking the best ‘Sleepy Time’ tea to try and get more than 1 hours kip at a time! But, could your diet affect the age you hit the menopause? Imagine being able to delay the age you hit the menopause!

(Image by: Food Storage Moms)

A study has found that eating a diet high in carbs (rice and pasta) could bring on an earlier menopause. It’s suggested that you could reach menopause a year and a half earlier than the average age (51 years old) of a UK woman.

(Image by: Doctors Beyond Medicine)

Delay the menopause

However, a diet rich in oily fish and legumes (peas, beans, lentils, an chickpeas) may delay the natural menopause by 1 and a half years. This could be explained by the fact that, for example, legumes contain antioxidants which may preserve menstruation for longer. Plus, Omega-3 fatty acids (in oily fish) stimulate antioxidant capacity in the body.

Study co-author Janet Cade, professor of nutritional epidemiology, said “A clear understanding of how diet affects the start of natural menopause will be very beneficial to those who may already be at risk or have a family history of certain complications related to menopause.”

Although, many experts say there are many other factors influencing the age of menopause, including genetic factors such as your genes, so don’t worry about altering your diet drastically as diet alone can not account for the age of the onset of the menopause. However, it can only help…pass me the peas!

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