Power Nutrients for Menopause
In addition to a good daily diet, taking
a wide variety of beneficial nutrients to keep you in vibrant health
provides a much broader level of protection than taking only a hormone
pill. Always start with the lowest dose and work your way up.
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Bioflavonoids
Black cohosh
Flaxseed
Sage
Soy Isoflavones
Vitamin
A (as beta-carotene)
Recommended postmenopausal dosage: 5,000-15,000 IU daily
Best for: Reducing risk of heart disease
by attacking the free radicals
that oxidize LDL
cholesterol, making it stickier and more dangerous.
Vitamin
C
Recommended postmenopausal dosage: 1,000-3,000 mg daily
Best for: Fighting heart disease. The Harvard-sponsored
Nurses’ Health Study found that women who took high doses reduced
their risk of heart disease 42 percent.
Vitamin
E
Recommended postmenopausal dosage: 400-2,000 IU daily as
d-alpha tocopherol
Best for: Relieving hot flashes, balancing
mood, restoring energy, and keeping tissues and skin healthy. A
1997 National Institute on Aging study found that supplementing
with 2,000 IU of vitamin E daily even slowed the progression of
Alzheimer’s disease.
Other vitamins and minerals that contribute to
postmenopausal health include:
Vitamin D, vitamin
K, B-complex vitamins,
iron, iodine
(from kelp), magnesium,
zinc, selenium,
copper, manganese,
chromium, molybdenum,
potassium, and choline
bitartrate.
Bioflavonoids
Recommended postmenopausal dosage: If you aren’t taking HRT,
take 1,000-2,000 mg daily.
Best for: They work with vitamin C to help
relieve hot flashes and maintain strong bone.
Black cohosh
Recommended postmenopausal dosage: 80-160 mg of standardized
extract a day
Best for: This herb, used for centuries by Native American women,
contains plant estrogens that act like mild estrogens in your own
body. Thus, it can help many of the symptoms resulting from estrogen
deficiencyincluding hot flashes, night sweats, heart palpitations,
headaches, vaginal dryness, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbancewith
none of the side effects of HRT.
Flaxseed
Recommended postmenopausal dosage: 4-6 tbsp. milled flaxseed
or 1-2 tbsp. flaxseed oil daily.
Best for: Its essential
fatty acids help keep vaginal tissues moist and skin supple.
The weakly estrogenic lignans in flaxseed bind with your body’s
estrogen receptors, mimicking the effects of estrogen. Ground flaxseed
can also benefit your bones and may provide protection against breast
cancer.
Sage
Recommended postmenopausal dosage: 50-150 mg daily
Best for: Relieving hot flashes and vaginal
dryness.
Soy isoflavones
Recommended postmenopausal dosage: If you don’t regularly
consume soy foods, try 50-100 mg daily.
Best for: Their estrogenic activity helps
combat hot flashes, as well as protect against breast cancer and
osteoporosis.
| Taking Herbs All herbs should be used in small amounts. Take herbs with meals either in capsule form or in a tea. If you prefer tea, simply empty the capsule into a cup of boiling water and let it steep for a few minutes. Don’t drink more than one or two cups of the tea per day. If you notice nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, stop taking the herb immediately. |
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