Can our food choices help to reduce and manage menopausal symptoms? In short – YES!! 

Our hormonal health is built upon the minerals we are feeding our body. If we are not consuming adequate amounts of certain minerals then our hormonal regulation will be disrupted. This is true for women of any age but as we age and our hormones naturally start to become a lot more erratic it becomes even more vital to fuel our bodies correctly.

Hormones are chemical messengers that control a number of systems, such as our metabolism, the immune system, mental wellbeing and gut health. Consuming certain foods can provide the nutrients that we need in order to facilitate the production of hormones.

During Menopause our body’s main sex hormone Estrogen naturally starts to decline. This decline is a slow process (over a 5-15year period depending on the individuals baseline health and lifestyle). During this slow downward decline it is FLUCTUATING a lot 

Our body has 50 different types of hormones, each closely connected. This fluctuation of estrogen has knock on effects on the regulation of other hormones in our body, causing them to fluctuate and go out of line too 

Its THIS fluctuation of hormones that causes menopausal symptoms

• Night sweats
• Hot flashes
• Mood swings
• Joint pain 
• Heightened feelings of anxiety/stress
• Sleep issues 
• Change in cravings/appetite 
• Gut health issues 
• Low energy 
• Libido changes 

And so on 

What role does MAGNESIUM have when it comes to hormones?

Magnesium is involved in the production of every single hormone in the human body. So again, regardless of what age you are Magnesium should be a mineral you focus on 

Now, before we go any further lets make this clear 

When I talk about minerals or vitamins I’m talking about these as micronutrients from our REAL FOOD intake – NOT supplements 

As a population we are massively over-supplemented. 

Everywhere we look supplements are being pushed – they make up a multi billion dollar marketing section of the health industry so it’s no wonder “fitness influencers’, coaches etc push them heavily on social media because they get PAID to do so. 

I personally have been contacted by countless supplement companies to partner and push their supplements to my clients and on my social media – This is something I will NEVER ever do, ever. At present we don’t recommend ANY supplements to clients as a whole because we focus on actually helping them consume adequate amounts of minerals/vitamins from their FOOD 

This firstly is a lot cheaper for the individual but also a LOT more effective and easier on a person’s gut health compared to pouring endless supplements/pills into our bodies each day 

 

IF after working with an individual on her food choices it’s not possible based on her food preferences or perhaps sensitivities/intolerances to consume enough certain minerals from food, then and ONLY then would we recommend a supplement but we are not affiliated with any supplement company 

There are TWO minerals/vitamins that are very hard to consume from food alone

They are MAGNESIUM and VITAMIN D 

That doesn’t mean you should only reach for a supplement for these. This means you will get a certain amount from food and the REST should be supplemented 

So in this article we will explore (1) Magnesium food options and (2) Supplements for the REST of our magnesium intake 

Magnesium and Menopause Symptoms 

Magnesium is found in every cell inside our body and is essentially for hundreds of enzymes. It’s also involved in over 500 different biochemical reactions in our body – everything from energy regulation, immunity, muscle development, blood pressure regulation to nerve functionality

Yet more than 50% of women are magnesium deficient. 

Below outlines the main benefits of magnesium based on scientific studies: 

 

Boosts mood 

Magnesium plays a role in the production of our main mood hormone, serotonin. This explains why magnesium has been found to help with menopause depression, anxiety, mood swings and feelings of being “flat”. 

 

Fluctuating estrogen heightens our thoughts usually leading to racing thoughts at night – magnesium helps to calm this making it more easier to fall asleep and reduce those heightened feelings of anxiety at night time

 

Improves sleep 

Sleep is commonly disturbed by our shifts in hormonal health during menopause, mainly because our body is now producing more cortisol as estrogen declines. 

Heightened cortisol knocks off our circadian rhythm which is our sleep wake cycle, allowing our body to naturally regulate energy in the morning allowing us to wake up feeling refreshed and produce melatonin in the evening to help our body wind down to fall asleep. 

Magnesium is a mineral involved in this process. It interacts with the neurotransmitters that are involved in our sleep process – our main hormone regulation occurs while our body is in a DEEP or REM sleep. Menopausal women producing higher levels of cortisol struggle to fall into that REM sleep hence they experience even more hormonal disruptions that are naturally occurring causing issues with metabolism, leading to weight challenges. 

Magnesium helps us fall asleep and to fall into that deep sleep, encouraging our body to regulate hormones as we sleep to improve our overall health 

 

Keeps Our Bones Strong 

Yes, calcium and vitamin D are great vitamins to consume to help with bone health but magnesium is often overlooked as a key mineral for bone development. 

As we age our bone density starts to naturally decline

Bones in our body are in a constant state of remodeling. We have cells in our body that break down bones, called osteoclasts. And cells in our body that rebuild those bones are called osteoBLASTS. This is a natural process that occurs from birth until end of life

As we age, for both men and women, the process of RE BUILDING bones ie osteoblasts declines. 

But for women the loss of estrogen during menopause increases the rate of the bone break down, ie osteoclasts. Meaning our bones are declining quicker than our body is rebuilding them. This is why bone density in women decreases at a much quicker rate than men, resulting in a much higher risk of Osteoporosis  

Magnesium has been proven to decrease this reduction of bone density – not stop it, it unfortunately happens naturally with age but magnesium has been shown to slow down the rate of bone decline. 

Improved effects of HRT 

For women choosing to utilize hormone replacement therapy they will see much better results when they are consuming adequate minerals/vitamins – something VERY very rarely explained by GPs when giving women doses of HRT 

If we are taking HRT but our mineral intake (across all minerals/vitamins, not just magnesium) is low that HRT is not going to be as effective compared to an individual who is consuming a well balanced diet 

There is currently no research to show negative side effects of being on HRT over a long period however, individuals consuming a balanced diet have been shown to come off HRT and not have heightened symptoms again quicker than those who don’t consume a balanced diet

Foods High in Magnesium 

As mentioned above we should ALWAYS look to food FIRST before even thinking about what supplements to start taking. So let’s break down some of the best magnesium rich foods 

• Spinach 
• Avocado 
• Nuts (especially walnuts, almonds and cashews) 
• Bananas
• Dark chocolate 
• Oats 
• Chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed
• Dairy products like cheese and yogurts
• Fatty fish like salmon 
• Beans 

 

Magnesium is used in our body at a quicker rate than we can break it down through digestion and absorb it hence it’s very hard to consume enough magnesium foods across a day to keep up with the rate our body is using it.

Side note: our body breaks down and absorbs REAL FOOD at a quicker rate on average than supplements. This is why REAL FOOD is a lot more effective as our body can actually use the minerals at a much faster rate 

Around 40% of magnesium from our food is absorbed quick enough for usage 

Hence why a supplement is great when it comes to magnesium 

 

Magnesium Supplements 

Again we don’t need to reach straight for a pill form of a magnesium supplement 

• Magnesium teas to drink 
• Magnesium bath salts (make sure they have magnesium in them and not sure a standard epsom bath salt, the package should state Magnesium on it, usually a magnesium sulphate)
• Magnesium creams 

After this magnesium comes in a range of different forms – there is no “right” one. It can take a period of trialing to see which form works best for you 

What I personally have seen working best for MY clients is a magnesium glycinate. It absorbs easily meaning no gut issues, digestion etc. But honestly the actual magnesium supplement ie a magnesium glynciate, citrate and chloride, is very individual based. Personally I would recommend starting with a glynciate and if you notice disruptions to your gut ie bloating, more gas etc then swap to another 

 

Like always when starting to take a supplement you should speak to your GP or a registered dietitian – you can book to speak with myself or one of my team through our 1-1 Free Menopausal consultations where we will go through your symptoms on an individual basis and what will work best for YOU and YOUR health