How does the Keto Diet Help During Menopause?

Author: Priyanka Saxena on Nov 20,2020

Most women are hemmed by a number of physical & hormonal difficulties during menopause. However, for every woman, this could be different or similar and each of them experiences different conditions. While some may gain weight & struggle with hot flashes others could suffer insomnia, extreme mood swings & lose muscle tones. 

Here’s what happens during menopause: 

The hormonal changes start taking place much before menopause, which can last for 4-14 years. This phase is called perimenopause. A woman reaches menopause when she goes without her menstrual cycle for 12 months continuously. 

On average, perimenopause starts at the age of 46 (which of course would vary depending on other physical conditions). The perimenopause or the period when your body is making the natural transition to menopause -- on average lasts for around 7 years. And, a woman can start experiencing her perimenopause symptoms around the mid-30s to mid-50s. 

A woman may experience one to more symptoms during her perimenopause, which may include Insomnia, night sweats, Mood swings, Weight gain, Vaginal dryness, Hot flashes, Fatigue, Poor memory, and more. While in a few women these symptoms are extreme during perimenopause while for others symptoms are more intense during the post-menopause period. 

But, there is always a way out to manage everything -- by bringing in a few changes to the lifestyle and the diet, menopause can be managed better. A keto diet is extremely helpful in managing the mental, physical & emotional symptoms of menopause. 

Let’s read the article to know how keto can help women better deal with menopause symptoms.

Let’s get started:

A keto diet rapidly increases the production of ketones, which further helps in dealing with the difficulties during perimenopause or postmenopause. Here’s how the magic begins:

1. Controls weight gain.

As we have also talked about -- how a lot of women would start gaining weight during their menopause. A keto diet would be pretty helpful in controlling weight gain, which is caused due to hormonal alterations and other changes like slower metabolism. 

Per a study, the Keto diet can help deal with the risk of post-menopause weight gain. The Keto diet decreases food cravings, hunger, and therefore appetite, which in a way reduces the risk of post-menopause weight gain syndrome. 

2. Optimizes & Maintains the hormonal balance.

In addition to combating food cravings and hunger, the Keto diet also optimizes and keeps check on the unusual hormonal imbalance. It optimizes the insulin and the level of other hormones in the body thereby better dealing with menopause symptoms. 

3. Keeps Your Brain Function Well

During menopause, women suffer the risk of their brain function getting damaged. The Keto diet is extremely helpful in dealing with brain damages during menopause -- it improves brain functioning. The Ketones that are accompanied by a Keto diet replace glucose in the brain and the other tissues. Glucose does not reach your brain during menopause as the level of estrogen decreases that are responsible for letting Glucose reach your brain. The Keto diet helps you deal with this problem keeping your brain function normally.

4. Maintains a Healthy Sleep Cycle.

There is an inconsiderably unusual fluctuation in the blood sugar level during menopause, which indirectly affects your sleep cycle. In addition to that, the extreme palpitations, hot flashes, and other symptoms that are menopause also affect the quality of your sleep. A Keto diet takes care of the fluctuation in your blood sugar level, balances the level of hormones including melatonin, serotonin & cortisol -- thereby Improving your sleep cycle. 

5. Acts as an Energy stabilizer. 

As we discussed at the beginning of this article -- one of the symptoms of menopause might also include feelings of fatigue & drainage of energy. A Keto diet in that case helps by providing efficient energy through healthy fats and thereby maintaining hormonal balance in the body. 

6. Helps in Lowering Increased Inflammation.

Some women may also suffer increased inflammation during menopause, which can further result in a number of diseases. The Keto diet that contains anti-inflammatory fats -- is extremely helpful in preventing a number of inflammatory conditions including back pain, joint pain & more. 

7. Combats Food Cravings & Hunger

The Keto diet is extremely helpful in combating cravings and hunger during menopause. Per a study, most women who were on a Keto diet had an increased level of glucagon including peptide 1, the hormone responsible for controlling appetite, which particularly helps during menopause. The Keto diet also helps with decreasing appetite and ghrelin, the appetite-stimulating hormone. 

Summary

The Keto diet can be extremely helpful during menopause -- and in dealing with the symptoms. It prevents unusual weight gain, food cravings, hunger, can act as an energy stabilizer, can lower inflammation, and help maintain a healthy sleep cycle. 

Menopause is a difficult phase for women & with the plethora of benefits the Keto diet can act as a panacea of hope. However, you must discuss with a dietician before going on a keto diet during your menopause phase.