Women, Take Note! Eat More Vegetables to Prevent Risk of Early Menopause

A range of factors are making women experience menopause way before they are supposed to go through it. Alternatively known as climacteric, the condition usually affects women in their 40s-50s. Menopause is described as a condition wherein hormonal changes cause a woman's menstrual cycle to stop and no more capable of achieving a pregnancy. While in some women the cycle may become irregular before stopping eventually, others may just experience a sudden halt. Research points at the growing number of menopausal women across the world with more and more women falling prey to early menopause.

While a host of medical conditions may trigger early menopause, in most cases the condition may seem as an outcome of hormonal imbalance or lifestyle factors. Inadequate diet, lack of proper sleep, sedentary lifestyle, and excessive alcohol consumption along with smoking may perpetrate the condition. Early menopause - the cessation of ovarian function before age 45 - affects about 10 per cent of women globally and is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and early cognitive decline.

While minor tweaks in lifestyle can go a long way in preventing the risk of early menopause, diet can also play a major role offsetting the ill effects of unhealthy lifestyle and the associated hormonal changes. Experts at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the US have found that a diet rich in vitamin D and calcium can help avoid risk of early menopause in women. Another study published by the experts at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have found that adding food items like soy, barley, brown rice and oats in regular diet may keep risk of early menopause at bay.

As per the trial conducted on close to 1 lakh women, those participants who derived about 6% of their daily calorie intake from vegetable protein were around 16% less susceptible to experiencing early menopause.

Some key things to keep in mind to avoid the risk of early menopause would certainly include avoiding smoking and alcohol consumption; maintaining proper sleep and loading up on enough vitamin D, calcium, protein, fibre and omega 3. Cut down on your caffeine consumption and ensure regular exercising.

Inputs from IANS