How the right diet can delay menopause, ease symptoms, and smooth the transition for women

Women who eat a daily diet high in oily fish can delay the onset of menopause by 3.3 years, groundbreaking UK study finds. Other diet choices have a lesser impact, while a diet high in pasta and rice has the opposite effect, it shows

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A diet high in oily fish and antioxidant-rich foods, such as nuts and legumes, can help delay the onset of menopause. Photo: Alamy

Published: 8:00pm, 19 Jul 2018Updated: 11:54pm, 19 Jul 2018

The change of life – menopause – has been discussed as far back as Aristotle, but there is still a lot that is unknown about this often-unsettling time when a woman’s ovaries cease to function. New research is shedding light on how to better manage this transition.

While the average age for natural menopause (365 days without a period) in the United States is 51, as it is in Hong Kong, perimenopausal, or early, symptoms can occur in some women years before, and the intensity of symptoms varies greatly.

Some women may experience weight gain, specifically in the abdominal region, decreased muscle mass and increased fat mass, as well as hot flushes and mood changes. In addition, women have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

New findings show that eating a high intake of oily fish such as mackerel can delay the onset of menopause. Photo: Alamy

The factors that can lead to these outcomes are as variable as women’s experiences of menopause. They can include genetics, lifestyle choices, metabolic changes, hormonal shifts and environmental factors.

Given that they don’t know when they’ll go through it or how it will affect them, many women in their 40s and younger don’t give much thought to menopause. But considering how issues with weight, mood, health and emotions can snowball, perhaps we should focus on establishing habits that could make for a smoother transition through this life stage.