Taking good care of your microbiota helps to enhance menopausal symptoms

In recent times, there’s been a growing body of research linking microbiota balance with an improvement in menopausal symptoms. It has been observed that this set of intestinal bacteria interferes with the activity of sex hormones. Actually, their balance seems to bring additional advantages.

It ought to be remembered that menopause is a biological process wherein a lady’s menstrual cycles permanently stop. Even though it is a component of the aging process, it brings with it a series of symptoms that usually affect the standard of life. But why does taking good care of the microbiota help to manage it? Discover in this text!

The symptoms of menopause

Menopause brings with it a series of clinical manifestations which can be uncomfortable for girls. A few of the commonest symptoms are the next:

• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Vaginal dryness
• Weight gain
• Mood swings
• Changes in sleep patterns

It’s estimated that girls spend about one-third of their lives in menopause, which occurs at about age 50. Within the transition to this stage, hormonal changes often increase the danger of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.

As well as, lots of these diseases appear between 10 and 15 years after menopause, as is the case of being chubby, diabetes, osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, dementia, amongst others.

For all these reasons, the arrival of this recent cycle is a vital time to adopt strategies that help to handle health. Amongst this, habits that help to take care of a healthy microbiota play an important role.

Keeping microbiota healthy helps improve menopausal symptoms

The role of the microbiota in health has been a subject of scientific research for several a long time. Thus, in recent times, studies have been developed that associate its activity with the symptoms that appear each in premenopause and in menopause and postmenopause.

The microbiota is a set of trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microbes. Specifically, the gut microbiota is the biggest and most diverse population of microorganisms within the human body. It plays a vital role in digestion, immune health, and overall health.

It has been observed that, over time, this group of microorganisms undergoes changes, mediated by habits, lifestyle, hormonal changes, and even disease.

Women who manage to take care of a various gut microbiota are likely to experience fewer symptoms at menopause. This even appears to reduce the danger of disease after they reach this stage.

Relationship between microbiota and feminine sex hormones

A study shared via the International Journal of Women’s Health explains the influence of female sex hormone levels on the composition of the microbiota. In response to the publication, the hormonal fluctuations that occur during menopause are linked to a lower diversity of the intestinal microbiome.

Given the intimate contact that the microbiota has with the immune system, the alterations that occur during menopause are a risk factor for several diseases, including metabolic, immune, and cardiovascular diseases.

Nonetheless, the researchers observed that this can be a bidirectional relationship. What does this mean? Well, the gut microbiota can also be involved in regulating the degrees of free circulating hormones.

In other words, taking good care of the microbiota and promoting the balance of microorganisms that compose it could be very helpful for minimizing the impact of the decrease in hormones comparable to estrogen.

Specifically, it has been determined that the strobolome – a set of bacterial genes belonging to the microbiota – is involved in estrogen regulation.

Promoting estrogen balance just isn’t only positive in reducing the danger of chronic diseases in menopause and postmenopause. It also promotes the reduction of common symptoms comparable to vaginal dryness, mood swings, hot flashes, and night sweats.

The vaginal microbiota can also be vital

The vaginal microbiota is the community of microorganisms that live within the vagina. A study reported in Nature Microbiology highlights the importance of promoting its balance to mitigate a number of the symptoms of menopause.

specifies that the restoration of bacteria comparable to lactobacilli just isn’t only key to reducing vaginal dryness and other vaginal discomfort, but additionally plays a protective role within the urinary tract. Thus, it reduces the danger of dysuria and recurrent urinary tract infections, which are sometimes common amongst postmenopausal women.

To this point, research on the microbiota and its relationship to symptoms and health complications in menopause remains to be ongoing. Nonetheless, the findings observed thus far suggest that restoration of this bacterial population could also be a useful approach to enhance women’s quality of life before, during, and after menopause.

Find out how to promote microbiota balance to enhance menopausal symptoms

While many aspects can trigger an imbalance of the microorganisms that make up the microbiota, there are also some habits that help keep it healthy. On this sense, a review shared through the magazine Nutrients exposes that weight loss plan and stress control are determinants.

To a lesser extent, but no less vital, exercising and avoiding bad habits, comparable to the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and medicines, can even help. To be more precise, some recommendations are the next:

• Increase the consumption of probiotics. These are live microorganisms that may confer health advantages when consumed in adequate amounts. They may be present in fermented foods comparable to yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, amongst others, in addition to in supplements.
• Increase the intake of prebiotics. These are non-digestible fibers that promote the expansion of helpful bacteria within the intestine. They may be present in foods comparable to bananas, whole grains, bananas, green leafy vegetables, onions, garlic, soybeans, and artichokes.
• Devour more plant-based proteins. These promote the expansion of bacterial species comparable to bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, while neutralizing the expansion of pathogenic bacteria. The perfect known example is soy protein.
• Practice leisure techniques. Since stress is certainly one of the important aspects related to the alteration of the microbiota, it’s convenient to practice techniques comparable to meditation, yoga, massage, and respiration exercises, amongst other leisure methods.

Certain supplements could also be complementary

Symbiotics contain complementary probiotics and prebiotic ingredients that interact to offer a synergistic effect toward maintaining a desirable microbial population within the gut.

Nutraceuticals are natural food components (comparable to isoflavones and phytoestrogens) that may be released during digestion and due to this fact may additionally help.

Hormone alternative therapy just isn’t the one alternative in menopause

For a long time, hormone alternative therapy (HRT) has been the mainstay in addressing menopausal symptoms. Actually, it’s considered essentially the most effective treatment. But due to concerns about its potential negative effects, other strategies have been developed to enhance women’s health at this stage.

Because it is, the outcomes of several studies suggest that adopting strategies to take care of a healthy microbiota might help. The gut microbiome, with its ability to manage estrogen, progesterone, and other hormones, may play a key role during menopause and postmenopause.

With these findings, a life-style that helps promote the expansion of those healthy bacteria is really useful. Intake of probiotics and prebiotics, in addition to proper stress management, are key to achieving this.

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