Tighten My Vagina

Main Category: Stroke
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet;  Menopause;  Cholesterol
Article Date: 25 Sep 2011 – 0:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

<!– rate article

Patient / Public:

5 (1 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

5 (1 votes)

A new study published in the November 2011 issue of Stroke reveals some promising data on the positive effects of soy protein reducing the progression of clogged arteries in women who were within five years of menopause. This study was the largest and longest randomized controlled human study conducted to-date that directly investigated the efficacy of isolated soy protein consumption on the progression of atherosclerosis (lipid deposition in the artery walls).

“These results are consistent with what we have learned through research conducted over the past decade,” said Howard N. Hodis, MD, USC Keck School of Medicine and lead author of the study. “The literature demonstrates that there is a ‘window of opportunity’ of a potential beneficial effect on coronary heart disease for products that bind to the estrogen receptor including hormone-replacement therapy, soybean isoflavones or selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) when initiated in women within 5-6 years of menopause.”

The progression rate of carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) trended to be 16 percent lower on average in the isoflavone-containing soy protein group compared with the placebo group. However, in women who had experienced menopause within the past five years, isolated soy protein consumption was associated with a significant 68 percent reduction in CIMT progression compared to those consuming the placebo.

Excellent compliance was observed for this study as determined by package and bar count (86.5 percent for placebo and 91.0 percent for isolated soy protein). Compliance was confirmed by plasma and urine isoflavone measurements.

“The high compliance suggests that the clinical study products provided by Solae were very palatable and were not associated with any significant adverse effects as confirmed by the data,” said Elaine Krul, PhD, nutrition discovery lead, Solae.

Subjects in this study were ‘healthy’ with no previous signs of cardiovascular disease which may explain the lack of significant reduction in plasma lipids that is seen in persons with higher plasma lipid levels.

“This study also showed a significant increase in HDL (“the good”) cholesterol in participants consuming isolated soy protein,” said Krul. “The results of this study reinforce that soy protein can provide health benefits for the healthy aging market segment.”

The study* was conducted between 2004 and 2009. It was a double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-design study of 350 postmenopausal women aged 45-92 years without diagnosed diabetes or heart disease that were recruited in Greater Los Angeles.

Privacy Policy |
Terms and Conditions

MediLexicon International Ltd
Bexhill-on-Sea, United Kingdom
MediLexicon International Ltd © 2004-2011 All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/234900.php

Main Category: Women’s Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet;  Menopause
Article Date: 21 Oct 2011 – 1:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

<!– rate article

Patient / Public:

4 (1 votes)

Healthcare Prof:

4 (1 votes)

A healthy diet is especially important during the menopause a period in which the risk of suffering from health problems increases. Various studies analyse the diet of peri and postmenopausal women in Spain alongside the troubles that come with this transition. The results show that all of those groups studied have a deficient intake of vitamin D.

Marina Pollán, researcher at the Carlos III Institute of Health and one of the authors of the study explains that “biological and physiological changes in women caused by the menopause come with a greater risk of developing health problems in which diet plays an important role. These include diabetes, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.”

Therefore, the analysis of dietary patterns during and after the menopause is of particular interest because of its health implications. However, in Spain there have been very few studies that have assessed the diet of peri- and postmenopausal women.

In order to study these dietary habits, the authors of the study analysed 3574 women from the age of 45 to 68 from October 2007 to July 2008. Each programme contained a minimum of 500 women from seven Spanish cities (La Coruña, Barcelona, Burgos, Palma de Mallorca, Pamplona, Valencia and Zaragoza) and involved a food frequency questionnaire validated by the Spanish population.

The results show that obesity rates stand at 29% whereas 42% of subjects are overweight. Average calorie intake was 2053 kilocalories (with 43% of energy intake coming from carbohydrates, 36% from fats and 20% from proteins). Researchers highlight that practically all of the women received the recommended intake of all the vitamins, apart from D and E.

The case of vitamin D is striking given that none of the groups reached 50% of their RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance). The average total intake was 2.14 micrograms per day, which constitutes just 39% of the RDA for women of this age group.

“A diet with less fat and protein that is high in vegetables, nuts, and carbohydrate-rich foods will even out the energy balance and corrects levels of vitamin D and E,”according to the researchers. “This is especially important in places that are far away from the Mediterranean Sea where women have a greater tendency to fall short of the current recommendations.”

A greater risk of obesity

Another study lead by Faustino R. Pérez-López, coordinator of the study group of the Spanish Association for the Study of the Menopause, links body weight with metabolic and hormonal parameters in 574 postmenopausal women.

Published in the Gynecological Endocrinology journal, the results confirm that Body Mass Index (BMI) during the menopause increases with ages, the time that the menopause began, the number of children and also with blood sugar levels, triglyceride levels and systolic blood pressure.

Pérez-López points out that “this allows us to propose lifestyles changes that could improve quality of life and reduce the mortality rate associated with obesity if they are adopted early on.”

Body fat mass distribution, weight regulation and hormone secretion of fat are all different when it comes to men and women. Abdominal obesity is more frequent in postmenopausal women. It increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnoea, cancer, arthrosis, mental health problems and even death.

Furthermore, peri- and postmenopausal obesity intensifies the symptoms of the menopause and it is associated with a lower quality of life than that of women of normal weight. “Experimental studies of animals and women show that treatment with ovarian hormones can impede weight gain and muscle mass loss,” according to the researcher.

Sexuality during the menopause

Another study by Faustino R. Pérez-López, published in the Journal of Sex Medicine, deals with the female sexuality during the menopause. This is usually characterised by organic changes within themselves and their partner alike, previous sexual dysfunctions and socio-demographic factors that change from region to region, or even from one period of time to another.

Experts used the Changes in Sexual Function Questionnaire (CCFS) which consists of 14 simple questions. Its results show that 64.1% of the 117 volunteers (between February and November of 2010 in the Hospital Central de Asturias in Oviedo and the Hospital Cabueñes in Gijón, Spain) admitted to suffering from female sexual dysfunction.

Pérez-López outlines the importance of highlighting that “a third of Western women display some form of sexual dysfunction throughout their lives. This sometimes comes hand in hand with depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and a decrease in their quality of life.”

Sexual arousal problems are related to a lowered quality of life and also to urogenital tract problems whereas orgasm problems maintain a link with a decrease in the quality of life. Signs of depression are associated with the supposed onset of female sexual dysfunction.

The score from the CCFS showed a positive correlation between the educational attainment of the woman and her partner and the frequency with which she engages in sexual relations. They showed a negative correlation with depression,” according to the conclusions of Pérez-López, who points out that more studies are necessary before we take these findings as a given when talking about other population groups.

Privacy Policy |
Terms and Conditions

MediLexicon International Ltd
Bexhill-on-Sea, United Kingdom
MediLexicon International Ltd © 2004-2011 All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/236349.php

American babies are most likely to be born in August and on Tuesdays, least likely in November and on Sundays. A female is born with 1 million eggs, but only about 300 of the hardiest make it to the final gate, ovulation. About 6,000 women reach menopause every day.

These are a few of the fun facts from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ “2011 Women’s Health Stats and Facts,” documenting trends in U.S. fertility and reproduction. Some are reason to rejoice. Others, not so.

Teen pregnancies are down, especially in the North and Northeast regions. Mississippi has the highest teen birth rate, while New Jersey has the lowest.

Only 12 percent of women suffer from infertility. One-third of the time, it is attributed to the woman, one-third to the man, and one-third to a combination or to unknown factors.

Assisted-reproductive therapy, or ART, an infertility treatment, is on the increase, catering to women with an average age of 36, and resulting in more than 600,000 babies a year.

The number of twins is increasing; the number of triplets is on the decline. Both are more likely to occur if mom has assisted-reproductive therapy or is older than 30.

Episiotomies are way down, and forceps deliveries are also down.

Heads-up, parents: The onset of puberty for girls is occurring at younger ages, especially for African-Americans.

Nearly half of high school students have had sex at least once. For 10 percent of the girls, it was involuntary. Note to educators: Kids who have abstinence-only education are no more likely to delay sex or use condoms.

Premature births are more frequent, especially among blacks. Ditto for low birth weights, more so among African-Americans and mothers younger than 15.

One-third of pregnant women gain more weight during pregnancy than their doctors say they should, which is 28 to 40 pounds for women of normal weight.

Only 20 percent of new moms suffer from clinical postpartum depression, but 70 to 85 percent report the “baby blues.”

No wonder premenstrual syndrome is the subject of so many jokes; it strikes 85 percent of women. One-third will have at least one urinary tract infection in their lifetimes. The dreaded yeast infection plagues 75 percent of women at least once.

Abortions are down. Each year, 2 percent of women ages 15 to 44 have abortions. Delaware women are most likely to have abortions; Kentucky women least likely.

Half of pregnancies are unintended.

Sixty-two percent of women in childbearing age use contraceptives. The pill is No. 1, followed by sterilization of women, then by sterilization of men.

Women are most likely to have babies in their 20s, but more women in their 30s and 40s are having them. More than 500 older-than-50 women a year have babies.

The induction of labor is up, which could account for the lower number of babies born on Sundays — the doctors’ day off.

A cesarean section is the most common surgery among women of reproductive age. New Jersey has the highest C-section rate.

The hysterectomy is the second most common surgery for women of this age. The most common reasons are uterine fibroids for younger women and uterine prolapse or cancer for older women.

Some forms of sexually transmitted diseases are up, while others are down. Chlamydia is the most common, followed by gonorrhea, hepatitis B, herpes and HIV/AIDS.

Although life expectancy has increased, the average menopause age remains 51. Hot flashes affect 75 percent of women during perimenopause, the period before menopause, which lasts for about four years. Estrogen loss after menopause affects everything from skin to sex, so it’s no wonder that more than 38 million women are taking hormone therapy.

For every 1,000 live females born, there are 1,048 males. By age 33, though, the ratio is 50-50. By the time we reach age 100, girls rule. Then, it is four women for every man.

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/features/health/~3/M_cycnPqG64/ct-x-1228-obgyn-factoids-20111228,0,5148502.story