Menopause is a natural stage of life that can be uncomfortable and cause some difficult-to-manage symptoms such as hot flashes, poor sleep, vaginal dryness, night sweats, mood swings, and a slower metabolism.
In addition to these symptoms, it can also cause some health risks, including an increased risk of heart disease, which is largely due to changes in cholesterol levels that occur due to hormonal changes during menopause.
How cholesterol changes during menopause?
The effects of menopause on blood cholesterol levels in women are significant. Your cholesterol levels may increase during or after menopause due to a decrease in estrogen production. Estrogen helps regulate cholesterol levels.
Hormonal changes cause most of the health problems that occur during menopause. Menopause can lead to changes in hormone levels and metabolism, which contribute to changes in a person’s lipid profile.
During menopause, your ovaries produce less estrogen. Estrogen helps the liver regulate lipid metabolism and maintain a healthy lipid profile. When menopause begins and estrogen levels decrease, your body’s ability to maintain a healthy lipid profile is affected, which can lead to increased cholesterol.
Estrogen and heart health are closely linked, as estrogen plays a role in maintaining cholesterol levels. It has a protective effect against heart disease before menopause. Therefore, decreased estrogen levels may increase certain health risks.
What factors affect your cholesterol levels during menopause?
The following are factors that can affect your cholesterol levels during menopause:
- Obesity: Associated with higher triglyceride levels, higher LDL cholesterol levels, and lower HDL cholesterol levels.
- Conditions such as type 2 diabetes and hypothyroidism: Lower high-density lipoprotein levels and raise low-density lipoprotein levels.
- Hereditary hypercholesterolemia: If someone in your blood relatives has high cholesterol, meaning you have a family history of high cholesterol, your chances of having high cholesterol are higher.
- Smoking: Smoking can lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
- Mental stress: Stress causes hormonal changes that cause your body to produce more cholesterol.
- Diet: Certain foods can raise or lower your cholesterol levels
How to control high cholesterol during menopause
Controlling cholesterol during menopause requires some changes in your habits. Lifestyle changes are the best natural way to lower cholesterol during menopause and at any stage of life.
Here are some tips to help you manage high cholesterol during menopause:
- When you consider your lifestyle, diet plays an important role. Certain foods can help lower cholesterol.
- You should increase your intake of soluble fiber. Fiber can bind to cholesterol and be eliminated through your stool. Eat foods rich in fiber, such as legumes such as beans, soybeans, chickpeas, peas, and lentils, whole grains such as barley and oats, and fresh fruits and vegetables such as apples and carrots. You can also take fiber supplements such as psyllium.
- Consuming foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, walnuts, ground flaxseeds, olive oil, and avocados, can help lower cholesterol levels.
- Reduce your intake of saturated fat, which comes from sources such as red meat, full-fat dairy, and butter, as these can increase LDL cholesterol levels.
- Obesity increases LDL cholesterol levels in the body. Therefore, maintaining a moderate body weight can help prevent high cholesterol.
- Exercise is very beneficial for heart health. Moderate aerobic activity and strength training also help lower cholesterol levels.
- Smoking can increase LDL cholesterol and decrease HDL cholesterol in the body. This is a significant risk factor for heart disease. If you smoke, do your best to quit.
6 Tip for women going through menopause
Menopause is a natural, inevitable stage in your life. But facing the challenges of menopause may be difficult for you.
Here are some tips to help you effectively manage your menopausal challenges:
1. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables
Intake of more fruits and vegetables can help prevent several symptoms of menopause. Consumption of fruits and vegetables helps prevent several diseases, including heart disease.
2. Avoid trigger foods
Some foods may trigger hot flashes, night sweats, and mood changes. Avoid those foods that trigger your menopause symptoms, or try to reduce your consumption.
3. Exercise regularly
Regular physical exercise improves energy and metabolism, improves joints and bone health, decreases stress, and induces better sleep.
4. Consume phytoestrogens-rich foods
Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring plant compounds that have a slight estrogen-like effect on your body, helping to balance hormones to some extent.
5. Drink enough water
Staying hydrated by consuming sufficient water or other liquids helps you overcome dryness issues caused by a lack of estrogen.
6. Don’t skip meals
Eating on time is an important part of your menopause journey. Irregular eating can worsen some of the symptoms of menopause and make weight management a difficult task.
