Menopause

For many women, menopause comes with sleep problems, muscle loss, weight gain, and increased risk of heart disease and other chronic conditions.

“Menopause has historically been vastly understudied and women have been under-represented in health research, especially in relation to diet and health,” comments Dr. Sarah Berry, an associate professor in nutritional sciences at King's College London.

On average, post-menopausal women had worse blood sugar markers like fasting glucose, insulin, and HbA1c, greater insulin insensitivity, a sign of a greater risk of pre-diabetes, and a higher 10-year cardiovascular risk score than pre-menopausal women. They also had worse sleep and ate more sugary foods, mostly in the form of sweets and desserts.

Women under HRT after menopause have better blood sugar and blood fat responses to food and lower body fat.

The composition of the gut microbiome showed a link with inflammation, body fat, and blood sugar control. The good news is that what you eat may partially reduce the unfavorable health impacts of menopause, either directly by reducing inflammation and blood sugar spikes or indirectly by altering the microbiome to a more favorable composition.

Eating a healthy, varied diet, rich in fiber, complex carbohydrates, good quality fats, and healthy proteins — and saving sweets and desserts for an occasional treat — may therefore lessen the impact of these effects of menopause on women’s bodies. Improving gut health by supporting beneficial gut bacteria could likewise lessen the impact.