By modifying the intestinal flora, the vegan diet could ward off almost all of the hot flashes caused by menopause.
- Menopause, which generally occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, is manifested by different symptoms, including hot flashes which affect seven out of ten women.
- According to the study, the vegan diet cleanses the intestinal microbiota of menopausal women and thus reduces the number of hot flashes.
- The vegan diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, cereals and beans, excludes all products of animal origin (meat, eggs, milk, etc.).
Menopause, defined byHealth Insurance such as the cessation of periods for more than a year without an identified cause and occurring between the ages of 45 and 55, manifests itself by different symptoms, notably hot flashes which affect seven out of ten women. As its name suggests, it is a feeling of heat as sudden as it is intense, felt from the chest to the face and leaving redness on the area of the body concerned.
But these flushes are not necessarily inevitable: according to a new study, a vegan diet, which excludes all products of animal origin, could eliminate almost all of these unwanted symptoms in menopausal women.
Vegan diet changes microbiota and reduces hot flashes
To reach these conclusions, published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicineresearchers from the American organization Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine relied on a cohort of 84 postmenopausal women complaining of at least two hot flashes per day. They randomly divided them into two groups: the first had to adopt a low-fat vegan diet, which included a “half cup of cooked soy daily”, the second had to continue his usual diet. Participants were followed over a period of twelve weeks, with their stool analyzed at the start and end of the study to determine the health of their gut microbiota.
As a result, the researchers found that the vegan diet led to a modification of their microbiota, more precisely to a reduction in the number of certain bacteria living in the intestinal flora… and to a reduction in hot flashes.
Approximately 95% reduction in hot flashes
In detail, the drop in levels of Porphyromonas and Prevotella corporis – pro-inflammatory bacteria found in particular in people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis – was thus associated with a reduction in hot flashes during the day. As for the drop in the level of Clostridium asparagiforme bacteria, which are linked at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, it has been associated with a reduction in nocturnal flushing.
Adopting a vegan diet “eliminated severe hot flashes, resulted in a 96% reduction in moderate to severe hot flashes, and a reduction in daytime and nighttime hot flashes by 96% and 94%, respectively”can we read in a communicated. Note that the participants also lost on average nearly 3 kilograms during the study.
“Women who want to combat hot flashes should feed their gut bacteria with a vegan diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains and beans”, conclude the researchers, who point to the role of soy, rich in isoflavones and already associated with a reduction in puffs by other studies. This dietary choice would be all the more relevant as it also allows “losing weight” and of “protect yourself against cardiovascular disease and diabetes”.
