What? Wine: 'Wine – in particular red wine – can be an instant trigger for a hot flush or a night sweat,' says menopause health expert Dr Marilyn Glenville. It relaxes blood vessels and brings more blood to the skin's surface.
Dr. Juliana Kling with Mayo Clinic's Women's Health Center in Arizona says that alcohol use during menopause can worsen symptoms and increase a woman's risk for serious health conditions, like heart disease and osteoporosis. Dr. Kling warns that for many women, alcohol and menopause can be a dangerous mix.
If you're having hot flashes during menopause, you may find it helps to avoid certain "trigger" foods and drinks, like spicy foods, caffeine, and alcohol.
Malbec grapes have the thickest skin, making malbec wine the highest in resveratrol. Other red wines containing high levels of this antioxidant are Petite Sirah, St. Laurent, and Pinot Noir.
This study found that chemicals in red wine (from the skins and seeds of red grapes) slightly lowered estrogen levels among premenopausal women who drank 8 ounces of red wine nightly for about a month (1).
Now, scientists have found that resveratrol – a natural compound found in red wine and grapes – can help address this hormone imbalance. Share on Pinterest A compound found in red wine may moderate androgen hormones and improve diabetes risk factors in women with PCOS.
Avoid alcohol, spicy foods, and caffeine. These can make menopausal symptoms worse. If you smoke, try to quit, not only for hot flashes, but for your overall health. Try to maintain a healthy weight.
Alcohol Can Make Your Menopausal Symptoms Worse
For a lot of women, alcohol can make menopausal symptoms worse. It can trigger hot flashes and night sweats and lead to poor sleep. Alcohol can also affect your mood and exacerbate some of the more psychological menopausal symptoms, like anxiety and low mood.
Men should not have more than two drinks a day and women only one. Drinking less alcohol is better for health than drinking more.
Alcohol can change the way a woman's body metabolizes estrogen (how estrogen works in the body). This can cause blood estrogen levels to rise. Estrogen levels are higher in women who drink alcohol than in non-drinkers [21]. Higher estrogen levels are in turn, linked to an increased risk of breast cancer [21].
Red wine congeners and bourbon congeners produced similar estrogenic effects in experimental animals and in postmenopausal women.
Alcohol like bourbon, wine, and beer contain phytoestrogens (estrogen-mimicking substances), which can raise your estrogen levels, worsening PCOS, endometriosis, and fibroid symptoms.
Pot distilled spirits, on the other hand, retain more innate funk and character through the distilling process, and generally benefit from some aging—think Scotch, brandy, mezcal. There are exceptions, of course. (Bourbon is column distilled but very effectively aged.)
During this transition time before menopause, the supply of mature eggs in a woman's ovaries diminishes and ovulation becomes irregular. At the same time, the production of estrogen and progesterone decreases. It is the big drop in estrogen levels that causes most of the symptoms of menopause.
Nuts and Seeds, including almonds, flaxseeds, peanuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds. Soy and soy products, such as soybeans, tofu, miso soup, miso paste. Vegetables, particularly broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, onions, spinach, sprouts.
Fruits and vegetables like apples, pears, peaches, carrots, celery, and cabbage all contain phytoestrogens. They are also loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can help protect against disease. When incorporated into your daily diet, these foods can help to boost your estrogen levels naturally.
Menopause is divided into three basic stages: perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. During this time, the ovaries begin to atrophy which causes a decline in the production of the hormones that stimulate the menstrual cycle; estrogen and progesterone.
Try brisk walking, jogging, biking, swimming or water aerobics. If you're a beginner, start with 10 minutes a day and gradually increase the intensity and duration. Strength training. Regular strength training can help you reduce body fat, strengthen your muscles and burn calories more efficiently.
Red Wine and the Risk of Breast Cancer
Doctors determined long ago that alcohol increases the body's estrogen levels, fostering the growth of cancer cells.
Pinot Noir is rated as the healthiest wine because of the high levels of resveratrol. It is made of grapes with thin skin, has low sugar, fewer calories, and low alcohol content.