Heart Health in Menopause

If you watched Davina last year on Sex, Myths & the Menopause, you’ll know that women’s risk for cardiovascular heart disease increases post menopause. Perhaps you knew this anyway? Oestrogen has a protective effect vs heart disease & declining levels in our 40s & 50s appear to be the reason why CVD may be an issue for women as we progress in age.

HRT reduces our risk of heart conditions, but it is not a future health insurance policy, & whether you’re on hormone replacement or not, there are certain lifestyle choices that can help keep our risk low.

Finding effective tools to manage stress is crucial. Whether it’s through exercise, (which non-negotiable anyway for managing CVD risk), meditation, gardening, reading, creating/crafting/hobbying, breathwork, whatever, stress management is central to health. Chronic stress drives chronic inflammation which is at the root of chronic disease.

Please give this part of your self-care the importance it deserves.

Managing stress will also have positive knock-on consequences for quality sleep, which is another central tenet to good health. I have previously written about strategies for supporting sleep. Please take a look at that post if 7+ hours of shut-eye is in the realms of fantasy for you.

With respect to diet & managing CVD risk, get your greens! The nitrates they contain are antioxidant & also help keep our blood vessel flexible & enable them to dilate – helping keep our blood pressure at a healthy level. Good examples are broccoli, spinach, kale, beets, cauliflower, watercress, cabbage, Brussels sprouts….

Many of these veggies are also believed to be positive for cholesterol levels & also contain electrolytes potassium & calcium which also help us maintain healthy blood pressure.

Moving on….

Regularly consuming omega 3-rich oily fish, nuts & seeds is associated with lower risk of CVD. These fats are anti-inflammatory & most of us don’t consume anywhere close to enough of them, particularly compared to consumption of relatively pro-inflammatory omega 6s (found in all the standard cooking oils like sunflower & ‘vegetable’ oils.) If we’re eating lots of pro-inflammatory foods & not enough anti-inflammatory foods that can help quench heat in the body, we’re at higher risk of chronic diseases like CVD.

Final tip to keep post-menopausal CVD at bay: eat more beans! Simple, straightforward advice which is evidence-based.

Research has associated regular consumption of legumes & lentils with lower cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure & lower levels of inflammation. Check, check, check!

Bean consumption can also be helpful in managing blood sugar & insulin levels and beans contain a ton of different vitamins & minerals important for heart health. These include a range of B vits, magnesium, folate, zinc & potassium. The darkest coloured beans are the most nutrient dense, with black beans being top of the tree.

 So beans really are good for your heart!