Menopause Can Be Delayed – And Doing So May Add Years to Women’s Lives

by Nils Osmar. Dec. 14, 2022 Medical Disclaimer
A later menopause is associated with a lower risk of osteoporosis and fractures. When people reach menopause at a later age, they also have a lower risk of dying as a result of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis. See study.
Menopause can be delayed
The interesting news is that it’s possible to delay menopause by implementing some lifestyle changes. There’s evidence that women who do the following can delay menopause by several years:
- Stopping smoking. Women who smoke can go into menopause about a year earlier than nonsmokers—as much as two years earlier for heavy smokers. See article.
- Cutting back on alcohol. Heavy consumption of alcohol is associated with an earlier menopause. Consuming a moderate amount of alcohol appears to be the best approach, if you’re a drinker. See study.
- Eating a high nutrient, poorly planned diet. Diets which are low in nutrients are associated with earlier menopause. See study. ‘
- Eating fish, peas, and green beans. “One large British study found that eating oily fish and fresh legumes delayed menopause by several years.” See study. “A higher consumption of oily fish was found to delay the timing of natural menopause by approximately three years, and fresh legumes — such as peas and green beans — was linked to a later menopause by around a year,” said study author Yashvee Dunneram.” See article.
- Avoiding refined carbohydrates: “After tracking more than 35,000 British women for four years, investigators found that menopause tended to start earlier among those whose diets were heavy in refined carbs. In contrast, menopause tended to begin later among those who consumed a lot of fish and legumes.” See study.
- Including meat and legumes in your diet. “The research indicated the average age of menopause was 51 years, and that certain foods seemed to be linked to the time of a woman’s menopausal onset. … high carbohydrate consumption is related to an earlier onset of menopause… women who had a higher consumption of fish and legumes could delay menopause for over three years. (The study also found that) protein consumption via red meat could delay menopause for a year. It was also found that a higher consumption of zinc and vitamin B6, i.e., pyridoxine, may also delay menopause.” See article
- Including grapes and poultry in your diet. Of the women participating in the study who had never had children, those who had a higher grape and poultry intake tended to experience menopause later as well.” See article
- Avoiding excess PUFAs. Eating too many polyunsaturated fats appears to speed menopause. See study
- Getting more sun exposure throughout your lifetime. Of course, the sun exposure should be done thoughtfully, being aware of both the health benefits and potential drawbacks of exposure to the sun. See study.
Not medical advice
This article is not intended as, and should not be taken as, medical advice. I’m not advising that people eat any particular diet or take any particular supplement(s), just reporting on what I’m doing. Supplements, like medications and other interventions, can have side effects; I would encourage people to research both possible benefits and side effects before starting on any supplementation regimen, and consult with a medical professional about any issues which might have a medical component. See full Medical Disclaimer
Want to support this website?
If you like the content of this website, you can support it in two ways:
- Donating through my Buymeacoffee account: buymeacoffee.com/nilsosmar
- Buying anti-aging supplements and products from DoNotAge.org using the discount code PATHWAYS. (DoNotAge is my channel’s sponsor; when you use the discount code, you’ll be buying high quality supplements developed to support healthy aging and life extension, and the channel will receive a small payment, enough to keep us going)
Other resources
- My Youtube channel Pathways to Longevity
- My Facebook group: Anti-Aging and Life Extension,