Nutrition in Menopausal Women: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Among the various aspects of health promotion and lifestyle adaptation to the postmenopausal period, nutritional habits are essential because they concern all women, can be modified, and impact both longevity and quality of life. In this narrative review, we discuss the current evidence on the association between dietary patterns and clinical endpoints in postmenopausal women, such as body composition, bone mass, and risk markers for cardiovascular disease. Current evidence suggests that low-fat, plant-based diets are associated with beneficial effects on body composition, but further studies are needed to confirm these results in postmenopausal women. The Mediterranean diet pattern along with other healthy habits may help the primary prevention of bone, metabolic, and cardiovascular diseases in the postmenopausal period. It consists on the use of healthy foods that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and is associated with a small but significant decrease in blood pressure, reduction of fat mass, and improvement in cholesterol levels. These effects remain to be evaluated over a longer period of time, with the assessment of hard outcomes such as bone fractures, diabetes, and coronary ischemia.

Sarcopenia in Menopausal Women: Current Perspectives

“… 115 The potential explanation is that Mediterranean diet has positive effect on oxidative stress, 116 inflammation 117 and insulin resistance, 118 which are risk factors for muscle catabolism. 119 In addition, adherence to a Mediterranean diet could help to manage weight among postmenopausal women and is inversely associated with overweight/obesity in this population. 120 , 121 However, very few studies including global Mediterranean diet intervention and focusing on muscle mass gain or maintenance in postmenopausal women are available in the literature, expressing an important gap regarding this issue.…”

“… 120 , 121 However, very few studies including global Mediterranean diet intervention and focusing on muscle mass gain or maintenance in postmenopausal women are available in the literature, expressing an important gap regarding this issue. 119 …”

A Priori Dietary Patterns, Physical Activity Level, and Body Composition in Postmenopausal Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The etiology of obesity in middle-aged women is still not fully elucidated, although evidence clearly indicates that diet and physical exercise represent two of the modifiable factors that influence weight and some aspects of body composition [ 7 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. As reported in previous literature, physical activity and diet may play an important role in the prevention of obesity in postmenopausal women, probably in a synergistic manner.…”

A Systematic Review of the Cardiometabolic Benefits of Plant Products Containing Mixed Phenolics and Polyphenols in Postmenopausal Women: Insufficient Evidence for Recommendations to This Specific Population

“…Due to the accumulation of intracellular fat and the oxidation of fatty acids in the adipocytes, a lipotoxic reaction develops with the formation of free radicals, which triggers an inflammatory response and the increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and/or interleukin-1 (IL-1), C reactive protein (CRP), and the decrease in the secretion of the anti-inflammatory adipokine, adiponectin [8]. Often, postmenopausal women present a combination of two or three of these alterations and a higher prevalence of MetS compared to similar aged pre-menopausal women [9] raising their risk of CVDs and T2DM.…”