How 30 Plants A Week Could Cut Menopause Symptoms By A Third

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Women who have gone through, or are going through, the menopause can use plants to alleviate symptoms, according to new research.

A report by King’s College London and nutrition experts Zoe has found that eating 30 different plants a week can curb hot flushes and help with mood swings.

Researchers asked more than 4000 women in the UK to eat 30 different plants a week for seven months.

In addition, they were asked to score the effect on their lives of 20 menopausal symptoms during the diet switch.

During the exercise, both peri-menopausal and post-menopausal women experienced a reduction in physical and psychological symptoms. Researchers recorded a reduction in symptoms of around a third.

Study co-author Dr Federica Amati said: “The gut microbiome is an ecosystem and, if an entire population of microbes starts to suffer and die due to lack of oestrogen, there’s a gap in the ecosystem.

“So, we want to make sure that gap is plugged with good, helpful microbes, not with unhelpful microbes. Eating a varied, plant-based diet is the best way to achieve this.”

She added that the 30 plants a week are best drawn from “protein-rich whole plants” such as beans, lentils, nuts and seeds.