Welcome to the Humans of Nutrition Podcast brought to you by Registered Nutritionists Anna Wheeler and Prof Danielle McCarthy.
Anna and Danielle chat to registered nutritionists, Dr Laura Wyness and Lynn Burns, about navigating perimenopause. This has become a hot(!) topic, bringing the conversation into the public domain, while creating an explosion of supplements and products targeted at women that may not be supported by evidence – ever heard of menowashing?
Laura and Lynn cut through the noise in their book, and we are delighted to share their insights in this critical area of health.
They noticed their clients were increasingly seeking advice about managing menopause and realised there was a lack of evidence in this area. They reference a text which spotlights the lack of data and research on women. Shocking.
What most women refer to as menopause is actually perimenopause. Menopause is a defined point in time – the absence of a menstrual cycle for 12 months. Symptoms up to this point are multiple and varied (there are currently >40 recognised perimenopause symptoms), each woman will experience different symptoms at different severity. However, there are multiple health factors for all females to consider, even if you breeze through menopause without breaking a sweat (1 in 5 women have very few symptoms).
The aim of this podcast and Laura and Lynn’s book is to inform and empower women, provide practical support and advice, yet we cannot overlook the significant health risk that accompanies this life stage.
Did you know for example:
· 77% of women aged 45 to 64 have raised cholesterol, predisposing to heart disease
· Heart disease kills more women than breast cancer
· Hormone fluctuations can impact blood pressure
· Gut microbiome influences menopausal symptoms
· The health problems interlink eg gut microbiome impacts mood, sleep and heart health
· Menopause can exacerbate urinary issues, which, if not managed, can contribute to reduced activity (a health risk in itself), increased social isolation and even future falls; all of which can impact independence later in life.
The good news is that awareness of these potential problems can empower us to mitigate the health risk. Diet offers a key vehicle for this - we discuss this, and direct you to Laura and Lynn’s book to access a full range of diet tips and recipes.
We talk about our predecessors, how they coped with their perimenopause. Were their remedies ‘old wives tales’ or credible options?
What about employer’s responsibilities to make reasonable workplace adjustments?
We are left with no doubt that more research in perimenopausal women is needed, and tighter regulation of claims and marketing around products targeted at this group.
If you have aspirations to be an author, Laura and Lynn are generous with their advice and place high value on mentorship, giving particular credit to registered nutritionist Anita Bean. They call for more Registered Nutritionists and Dietitians to write science backed books – could that be you?
For further information:
·Eating Well for Menopause – Advice and recipes to improve your health and wellbeing
·Eating Well for Menopause: A course for Health Professionals (thinkific.com)
·Eating Well for Menopause - an introduction (thinkific.com)
Continue the conversation by sharing this with all the women (and men!) in your life.
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As nutrition professionals working in multiple contexts, we want to use our diverse experience to help organisations achieve their nutrition and health goals by providing them with the expertise they need, when they need it.
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