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At menopause, two major inconveniences can appear and bother many women: weight gain and hot flashes. And good news: adapting your diet would be effective in fighting against these two symptoms.
Like adolescence, menopause is an important stage in a woman’s life and it is usually accompanied by a series of physical changes. The main inconveniences are hot flashes and weight gain.
Researchers have taken an interest in the phenomenon and have published interesting results, showing an adaptation of the diet. Their findings are published in the journal Menopausepublished by the North American Menopause Society.
Diet adjustment
The study called WAVS – for Women’s Study for the Alleviation of Vasomotor Symptoms which can be translated as “women’s study for relief of vasomotor symptoms” – brought together 84 postmenopausal women reporting at least two hot flashes a day.
The women were randomly split into two groups, one following a low-fat vegan diet, including half a cup of cooked soy per day, and the other having made no diet changes for 12 weeks.
Significant reduction in symptoms
Result: The plant-based diet rich in soy reduced moderate to severe hot flashes by 88% and helped women lose, on average, 3.5 kg in 12 weeks.
“We don’t yet fully understand why this combination works, but it seems that these three elements are essential: avoiding animal products, reducing fat and adding a serving of soy.“, says lead researcher Neal Barnard, chair of the Physicians Committee and assistant professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine.
“These new findings suggest that a change in diet should be considered first-line treatment for bothersome vasomotor symptoms, including night sweats and hot flashes.“.
No weather influence
These diets are inspired by consumption patterns in certain countries, such as Japan or the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, where postmenopausal women experience the fewest symptoms. The first phase of this trial had already been carried out in autumn 2021 and the researchers wondered about the influence of the weather on their results.
By carrying out this second study, the researchers found the same results, which therefore excluded the influence of the weather and outside temperatures.This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a dietary intervention for menopausal symptoms.”adds Dr. Barnard. “Furthermore, it is precisely the diet that should reduce the health problems of many women reaching menopause: an increased risk of heart disease, breast cancer and memory problems.”