News flash – go vegan to combat menopause
A study from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine gave 84 postmenopausal women experiencing hot flushes, either a low-fat vegan diet including half a cup of soya beans a day or, their normal diet for 12 weeks. In the vegan group, the frequency of hot flushes was reduced by 88 per cent with half experiencing none at all.
“We do not fully understand yet why this combination works,” said Neal Barnard, adjunct professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine and lead researcher on the study, in a statement. “But it seems that these three elements are key – avoiding animal products, reducing fat, and adding a serving of soybeans.”
A second study from the same group found that the low-fat vegan diet was associated with significant changes in the gut microbiome that was linked to the reduction in severe hot flushes.
Barnard ND, Kahleova H, Holtz DN et al. 2023. A dietary intervention for vasomotor symptoms of menopause: a randomized, controlled trial. Menopause. 30 (1) 80-87.
Kahleova H, Holtz DN, Strom N et al. 2023. A dietary intervention for postmenopausal hot flashes: a potential role of gut microbiome. An exploratory analysis. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 79:103002.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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