Understanding and managing the mid-life transition

Do you know that you don’t have to be overweight to have too much body fat? You can weigh in at what you think is your ideal range and normal body size, but still be considered obese and thus, at risk for future heart problems. This phenomenon of “normal weight obesity” is the focus of a report by the Mayo Clinic, whose authors estimate that as many as 30 million Americans fall into this category.  An informative feature story about this appeared in the Wall Street Journal’s HeartBeat Column this week.

Apparently, what’s most critical in evaluating whether you’re really fit or just acceptable is not your BMI score, the traditional measure for obesity,  but how much body fat you’re carrying around. [click to continue...]

January is a time for setting new goals…and crowded gyms.  It happens every year.  Resolved to get fit and healthy, new members (or those who have been MIA) fill up group classes and the wait for using the cardio equipment becomes too long for my schedule.  So, I’ve learned to be patient because I know that in just one month, most of them will be gone and I can return to my own, stress-free pace. Until then,  I hit the outdoors for long walks and do Pilates floor exercises at home.  It’s always a fresh reminder that there’s really no excuse for not exercising.

For one thing, there’s so much available on the web to help us plan our workouts and monitor how we’re doing.  Here are just a few examples. [click to continue...]

If you’re concerned about losing bone strength during the menopause transition, you’ve probably been advised by your physician to increase your intake of dairy foods and/or take a daily calcium supplement of at least 1000 mg every day to help prevent bone loss. But you’ll be surprised to learn that Calcium may not be the answer at all.

In their book,  Building Bone Vitality: A Revolutionary Diet Plan to Prevent Bone Loss and Reverse Osteoporosis–Without Dairy Foods, Calcium, Estrogen, or Drugs, authors Michael Castleman, and Amy Lanou, Ph.D., a senior nutrition scientist for the Physician’s Committee on Responsible Medicine, argue that the highest incidence of hip fractures have actually occurred in countries where dairy consumption was the highest.   Moreover, the science doesn’t support dairy’s usefulness in reducing the risk of fractures.  They point out that of the 86 studies that have examined the connection between calcium supplementation and bone health,  two-thirds showed no impact on bone health above 500 mg.  So if fortifying our bodies with added Calcium is old, conventional thinking, what is the new answer when it comes to preserving bone vitality as we age? [click to continue...]

I found these beautiful fans in a small, Barcelona shop last month and just couldn’t resist buying one.  There was a time when I considered a fan a mere tool for alleviating menopausal hot flashes.   Now, I see it as a feminine, fashion accessory that I can whip out on hot days or during a particularly claustrophobic plane trip. Who has to know why you’re fanning anyway?  If you have a fan that’s as pretty as these are,  you’ll likely be asked where – not why – you bought it.

There are two facts about cholesterol that mid-life women should be concerned about: the first is that too high a level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) Cholesterol (the bad kind) in your blood stream increases your risk of heart disease; and second, a woman’s LDL cholesterol rises markedly – as much as 10 percent – during the year before and after menopause begins.  In today’s “Heart Beat” column in the Wall Street Journal, reporter Ron Winslow writes about a “provocative” research study that’s exploring the connection between declining estrogen levels and rising LDL markers.  The article underscores the importance of;

• Knowing your numbers when it comes to cholesterol (LDL under 100 is optimal)
• Getting enough aerobic exercise (it is a crucial weapon in responding to the impact of menopause on heart risk)
• Eating a low-saturated fat diet (high in fruits and vegetables) and,
• Monitoring your blood pressure(120/80 is ideal).

This is a good article to read and take to heart!

Fatigue, hair loss, depression and joint and muscle pain are just a few of the symptoms of a low thyroid (or hypothyroidism)- the gland that controls our metabolism.  It’s not uncommon for women experiencing hormonal fluctuations – whether during pregnancy, perimenopause or menopause, to have a low-functioning thyroid.  An explanation of why this happens can be found in an excellent series of articles on the Women To Women website.

Recently, while at a friend’s home, I helped myself to some delicious wrapped chocolate pieces.  I had three of them before I asked her where she purchased them. I found out that they were calcium chewies and I had just ingested 1500mg of Calcium plus vitamin D.   I purchased three bags the next day and I no longer forget to take my calcium twice a day!

Calcium chewies are the best known product in a growing category of “functional foods,” or nutraceuticals, which contain nutritional supplements and bioagents of foods such as anthocyanins (from berries) or beta-carotene that some research has shown to prevent or treat disease or illness.  We’re all accustomed to taking daily supplements like fish oil or calcium.  But there’s a growing industry of manufacturers that are wrapping these beneficial ingredients with delicious-tasting chocolate or concentrated fruit making them more appealing and convenient to consume.  Some claim to prevent urinary tract infections, while others are supposed to help ward off respiratory tract infections.  I don’t know if there’s any conclusive evidence to support all of the claims, but since they’re like small treats, I don’t think you’ll mind doing your own research to see if they work for you.  Here are a few products that you might want to try:  [click to continue...]

A urinary tract infection is one more thing that you can blame on menopause – or more accurately- the lack of estrogen in your body.  The decrease in estrogen, explains New York City-based Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, causes the bladder to become less elastic, triggering an inability to empty the bladder completely. “Ultimately, not being able to empty the bladder completely can create a breeding ground for bacteria to multiply, leaving menopausal women at risk for developing a UTI.” [click to continue...]

Women use products every day that are regulated by the FDA including cosmetics, medicines and  hormones. But does an “FDA Approved” claim mean that it’s safe and effective?  In a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, “Lost in Translation- FDA Drug Information That Never Reaches Clinicians,” two researchers at Dartmouth wrote that;

“FDA approval does not mean that a drug works well.  It means only that the agency deemed its benefits to outweigh its harms.  Much of what the FDA knows about a drug’s safety and effectiveness is not included on the label. You really need to know more to see whether it’s worth the cost.”

So what does this mean for mid-life women whose physicians recommend hormone therapy to manage hot flashes, biphosphonates to prevent bone loss, sleeping pills to help with menopause-related sleep disorders and perhaps a little Zantac for heartburn?   [click to continue...]