Switching to a vegan diet reduces severe menopause symptoms by 92%

From newatlas.com/health-wellbeing

Switching from a diet including meat to a low-fat vegan diet reduced severe hot flashes in menopausal women by a staggering 92%, according to a new study. Interestingly, the benefit was seen even if the women ate highly processed plant-based foods.

Studies have shown that, compared to a diet that includes meat, plant-based diets are more beneficial for maintaining long-term health, particularly cardiovascular health and weight management.

Now, a new joint American-Canadian study has found that eating a low-fat vegan diet, specifically one supplemented with soybeans, can reduce body weight and the hot flashes associated with menopause – even if the plant-based food being eaten is highly processed.

“This study highlights the potential positive effects of a plant-based diet rich in soy (regardless of the level of processing) in terms of both hot flash and weight management,” said Dr Stephanie Faubion, who is the medical director for The Menopause Society and was not involved in the study. “Given these and the other known benefits in terms of lowering heart disease and cancer risk, women in midlife should consider leaning into a plant-based diet.”

                     Severe hot flashes were significantly reduced in menopausal women who ate a vegan diet

Depositphotos

Menopause is the permanent cessation of menstrual periods, marking the end of a woman’s reproductive years. Hot flashes, or hot flushes, are a common symptom of menopause, experienced by about 80% of women. Characterized by a sudden wave of heat that usually starts in the chest and spreads to the neck and face, hot flashes can produce a feeling of overheating and burning. It’s not known exactly what causes hot flashes, but it’s thought that lower levels of oestrogen are the culprit, as the hormone plays a significant role in lowering body temperature. The term “postmenopausal” is used to describe a woman who has not had a period for 12 consecutive months; it lasts for the rest of a woman’s life. Treatments are aimed at easing symptoms and include menopause hormone therapy (MHT).

The researchers recruited 84 postmenopausal women aged 40 to 65 who’d reported at least two moderate-to-severe hot flashes a day to the 12-week study. Half of the participants were randomly assigned to a low-fat vegan diet supplemented with soybeans, while the other half served as the control group, eating an omnivorous diet. Women were excluded if they were already eating a low-fat vegan diet, had a soy allergy, used hormonal medications in the preceding two months, used weight-reducing medication in the preceding six months, smoked, or drank more than one alcoholic beverage a day.

The vegan group was asked to avoid all animal products and follow a diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, with half a cup (86 g/3 oz) of cooked soybeans each day. Those in the control group ate their usual diet. Neither group received instructions about how much processed food they could consume. Dietary adherence was assessed weekly, and the women’s hot flashes were tracked using a smartphone app. (Side note: Integrating soybeans into a low-fat vegan diet can enhance its nutritional completeness and provide essential nutrients that are typically found in animal products.)

At 12 weeks, severe hot flashes fell by 92%, from 1.3 per day to 0.1 per day, in the vegan group and didn’t change significantly in the control group (from 0.7/day to 0.4/day). The symptom reduction seen in the vegan group occurred regardless of whether the women ate processed or unprocessed plant-based foods. Moderate-to-severe hot flashes decreased by 88% in the vegan groups and by 34% in the control group. Mean body weight decreased by 3.6 kg (7.9 lb) in the vegan group, compared to a reduction of 0.2 kg (0.4 lb) in the control group.

“The current randomized trial demonstrated that, in the context of a vegan diet, replacing the consumption of both unprocessed or minimally processed and ultra-processed animal foods with plant foods (regardless of the level of processing), was associated with weight loss and a reduction in severe hot flashes in postmenopausal women,” said the researchers. “Conversely, the level of processing of plant foods was not associated with changes in body weight or hot flashes, suggesting that the benefits of increasing plant foods are independent of processing level.”

The researchers recognize the study’s major limitations, namely, that food consumption was based on self-reported diet records and that, because participants were volunteers, the findings might not represent the general population. However, they maintain that the study’s results may have significant implications for menopausal women.

The study was published in the journal Menopause.

https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/vegan-diet-menopause-symptoms-hot-flashes/ 

Soybean secret? Vegan diet eases hot flashes by 92% in menopausal women, study finds

From interestingengineering.com/health

The Menopause Society highlights plant-based diets rich in soy as effective for managing hot flashes and lowering heart disease and cancer risks 

A new study reveals that a low-fat vegan diet—regardless of how processed the food is—can significantly reduce hot flashes and support weight loss in women going through midlife.

Conducted by The Menopause Society, the research highlights the potential health benefits of plant-based eating during this transitional stage.

However, some plant-based foods are highly processed, so the researchers wanted to assess how that would factor into the overall equation.

Building on previous studies, they designed their latest investigation into plant-based diets to assess how processed vegan food might deter these benefits.

                                                            Closeup of heap of dried soybeans poured from burlap bag.    iStock

The verdict is in: a plant-based diet is better for women in mid-life

Eighty-four participants were randomly assigned to a low-fat vegan diet supplemented with soybeans or an omnivorous control group (42 people) for 12 weeks. Three-day diet records were analysed using the Nutrition Data System for Research software.

Research has shown that a plant-based diet, specifically one supplemented with soybeans, could reduce menopause symptoms. However, other studies have shown that ultra-processed foods increased calorie intake and weight gain compared to unprocessed foods.

“This is because ultraprocessed foods often have a higher energy density, meaning they are more calorie-rich for their size. Ultraprocessed foods are also often high in added sugars, unhealthy fats, and sodium, while being low in fibre and other essential nutrients,” the Menopause Society said in a recent press release.

With that in mind, they pursued a second line of investigation to assess whether the degree to which vegan food is processed might affect its efficacy in reducing these pesky menopause aggravators.

Regardless of how much the plant-based food was processed, it reduced menopausal symptoms.

“After 12 weeks,” the Menopause Society continued, “severe hot flashes were reduced by 92% in the vegan group and did not change significantly in the control group.”

“What mattered most was whether the food consumed was animal- or plant-based, thus confirming the researchers’ hypothesis that animal- and plant-based foods would affect body weight differently even if they were equally processed. This analysis may have significant implications for specific dietary recommendations for menopausal women,” study authors wrote.

Women: go plant-based

Women go into menopause between 45 and 55, typically around 52 years old. Emotional and physical symptoms can become severe, such as hot flashes, sleep problems, and mood changes.

Research in recent years has attempted to understand how diet might alleviate some of the problems this change in the female body can cause.

The most recent study confirmed it: a plant-based diet works, and the benefits for women extend far beyond the symptoms.

“This study highlights the potential positive effects of a plant-based diet rich in soy (regardless of the level of processing) in terms of both hot flash and weight management. Given these and the other known benefits of lowering heart disease and cancer risk, women in midlife should consider leaning into a plant-based diet,” Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society, said in a press release.

Plant-based diets tend to be the healthiest. In this case, they could even help a woman’s body thwart other health risks.

The study was published in the journal Menopause.

https://interestingengineering.com/health/vegan-diet-reduces-menopause-symptoms

How to end hot flushes in menopause? Try a low-fat vegan diet with soybeans every day

From scmp.com

• Postmenopausal women who tried low-fat, vegan, soybean-heavy diet for a study noted an 88 per cent drop in hot flushes

A low-fat, plant-based diet with a daily dose of soybeans can significantly reduce hot flushes in menopausal women.

The benefit of soybeans in alleviating menopausal symptoms is well established in the scientific community; the latest study combined this knowledge with a low-fat vegan diet.

American researchers found that postmenopausal women who ate the plant-based diet with 86g (3oz) of cooked soybeans daily saw an 88 per cent decrease in the number of moderate to severe hot flushes they experienced.

Having a low-fat vegan diet with a half cup of soybeans daily (above) was found to reduce hot flashes in menopausal women in a recent study. Photo: Shutterstock

After 12 weeks, half of the women on the diet reported no moderate or severe hot flushes at all, according to the study by George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington. The results were published in the medical journal Menopause.

“The diet was more powerful than we had predicted, equalling the effects of hormone replacement therapy. It also led to healthful weight loss, and the participants found it easy, enjoyable, and in some cases life-changing,” said lead researcher Professor Neal Barnard.

The women on the diet lost an average of 3.6kg (8lb) over the 12 weeks; those in the control group lost an average of 0.2kg.

Previous studies have shown that in Japan and other countries whose traditional diets are mainly based on plant-derived food such as rice, soybeans, and vegetables, hot flushes were rare.

But they became much more common when the diet was Westernised, with increasing consumption of dairy products and meat.

Professor Neal Barnard is studying the benefits of a plant-based, low-fat diet, with soybeans every day, on menopausal women. Photo: Elliott O’Donovan

Barnard set out to investigate a vegan diet’s impact on hot flushes after being contacted by a woman who had read his book Your Body in Balance, which explores the impact of diet on hormones and health.

“She said the approach in the book cured her hot flushes within a matter of days. That was actually a stronger effect than I had promised in the book, so I asked her how she had implemented the diet,” he says.

She had used a purely vegan diet, minimised oils, and added a half-cup of mature soybeans daily.

I got my quality of life back. I’m no longer dealing with the hot flushes hat were debilitating at one point. I’m more present with my four kids and my overall mental state is better                        Sherri, study participant

Barnard and his team put exactly this version of the diet to the test in a randomised trial of 84 women who reported at least two moderate to severe hot flushes a day.

Half the women were put on a low-fat, vegan diet with half a cup of soybeans daily while the control group made no dietary changes. The women then recorded the frequency and severity of their hot flushes.

Study participant Sherri said the diet was a “lifesaver”.

“I got my quality of life back. I’m no longer dealing with the hot flushes that were debilitating at one point. I’m more present with my four kids and my overall mental state is better because I’m feeling good.”

Like many women, Sherri was concerned about taking hormone treatment, so a dietary change was a welcome solution.

“Before jumping to any medication, I would try this route because it is easy, it’s simple and has immediate results,” she added.

Barnard said the combination of a low-fat, plant-based diet with daily soybeans had the biggest impact on reducing hot flushes. This meant avoiding oily foods such as nuts, avocados, and vegetable oils.

Mature soybeans (back) contain higher levels of isoflavones than edamame (front left) soy milk, or tofu (front right). 

Photo: Shutterstock

“A vegan diet alone does not do a lot for hot flushes. Soybeans and soy extracts alone are not dramatically effective, either. But surprisingly enough, the combination of a vegan diet, reducing intake of fats and oils, and adding half a cup of cooked soybeans daily led to a dramatic reduction in hot flushes,” he said.

“We do not know exactly why but avoiding oily foods seemed to help, too. All three pieces seem to be important.”

Soybeans may help because of the natural isoflavones they contain – genistein, daidzein, and glycitein – which may also help to reduce breast cancer risk.

The type of soy is important. In the hot flushes study, the diet incorporated mature soybeans, which contain higher levels of isoflavones than edamame – immature soybeans in the pod, soy milk, or tofu.

“We suspect that these isoflavones act like natural medicines to reduce hot flushes. But while edamame, soy milk, or tofu are all healthful foods, they would not be expected to have as strong an effect as mature soybeans,” Barnard says.

A soybean farmer in her field. The isoflavones contained in mature soybeans are believed to help reduce hot flushes, as well as lowering breast cancer risk. Photo: Shutterstock

Although the full explanation for the benefit of a plant-based diet has yet to be deciphered, Barnard believes high fibre and low fat play a role.

“We know that diets that are high in fibre and very low in fat tend to moderate the effects of oestrogens. We previously found that such a diet was effective for menstrual cramps.

“So we suspect that women on plant-based diets are more accustomed to lower oestrogen levels and have less of a change at menopause. Also, a plant-based diet causes weight loss, which reduces hot flushes.”

For study participant Marta there is no turning back.

“My hot flushes were very severe before the study. I had them almost every hour on the hour, and during night-time I had night sweats. After starting my diet, I felt a lot more healthy and energetic. I was sleeping better at night and my hot flushes had diminished tremendously.

“I enjoy eating this diet and won’t go back to my American diet because I feel my hot flushes are now under control.”

https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3267465/how-end-hot-flushes-menopause-try-low-fat-vegan-diet-soybeans-every-day