Hot flushes and night sweats are the classic signs that you’re hitting the menopause – and, though they don’t happen to all women of a certain age, if you’re that way inclined a glass of wine can give you that final push. ‘Wine – in particular red wine – can be an instant trigger for a hot flush or a night sweat,’ says women’s health guru Dr Marilyn Glenville. ‘It acts as a vasodilator, meaning that it widens the blood vessels and brings more blood to the skin’s surface. This can cause some people to go red, or have a red nose; and it can also cause hot flushes and night sweats. The timing of your drinking can make a difference too. Late night drinking can cause night sweats for example. So think about changing what you drink and when, or, if you really can’t stand the heat cut it out altogether.’
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Osteoporosis is a silent disease and you won’t know if you’re at risk unless you’ve had a fracture or had reason to undergo a bone scan – but by age 75 about half of us will have the disease and we increase our risk if we regularly drink alcohol, particularly after the menopause. Dr Marilyn Glenville explains: ‘Before the menopause your body is producing enough oestrogen to protect the bones from the condition. This hormone keeps the bones strong with enough elasticity in them to prevent fractures. When bones are deprived of it they become brittle and fragile, and alcohol exacerbates this process even more by decreasing osteoblast (bone building) activity – thus increasing bone loss and the likelihood of fractures. On top of that, alcohol is also a diuretic and this means it robs our bones of the essential minerals such as calcium and magnesium that should be keeping them strong. In fact alcohol is considered such a trigger for osteoporosis that experts recommend limiting yourself to seven units a week if you know you’re at risk.’
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If the scales make you cringe now, your embarrassment is sadly likely to get worse after menopause – and a relaxing drink won’t make it any better! ‘As we age our metabolism slows down, and the extra fat we gain as a result tends to gather around our middle,’ says Dr Marilyn Glenville. ‘That’s because, after menopause, your body is mourning the oestrogen that your now out-of-work ovaries used to supply - but fat on the tummy is another factory for oestrogen so the more fat your body can gather here, the more your body thinks it is protecting its hormone levels. But in fact any excess weight is a danger, potentially leading to all sorts of health problems such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Alcohol is not just providing extra calories and sugar to make more unwanted fat, but – even if you appear to have a healthy body weight (ie your BMI is between 19 and 25) – it can overwork your liver so that it’s unable to break down sugar and may become fatty as a result. This is another health risk as a fatty liver increases your risk of heart disease and strokes and can eventually lead to the killer disease cirrhosis. Your liver’s designed to break down alcohol at the rate of one unit (eg one pub measure of a spirit or just half a medium glass of white wine) per hour, so don’t give it more than that – and think carefully about how much you drink if you are trying to head off a weight problem.’
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Your risk of heart disease (the UK’s biggest killer of women) also goes up after the menopause – again because your body is now deprived of the oestrogen that used to protect your heart. ‘When you add booze into the equation your risk can soar,’ says Dr Marilyn Glenville. ‘Firstly there’s the fact that alcohol is highly calorific – 130 calories per two-unit medium-size glass of white wine – and with calories comes weight gain and the risk of obesity which takes its toll on the heart. Second, you have to consider that if your liver is again over-occupied with metabolizing alcohol it can’t control cholesterol levels as effectively as it would like. And then there’s also the fact that alcohol (like stress) causes an inflammatory process that can block the body’s ability to use the essential fatty acids that protect us from heart disease.’
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Measure your tummy. If it’s more than 80cm or 31.5 inches, you’re at increased risk of type 2 diabetes – and, as we’ve already seen how menopause can add inches to your waistline, it’s not surprising that the condition typically appears after the age of 40. Diabetes comes on slowly however – it can take 10 years to realise you have the disease because the symptoms are so insidious – so this is another reason to cut back on alcohol and try to shift any excess weight before it becomes an issue. ‘The good news is that because tummy fat is metabolically active (the reason it can produce and react to hormones), it is also more responsive to diet and exercise, and you're more likely to lose weight from your tummy than you are from your hips, and this can dramatically reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes,’ says Dr Marilyn Glenville.
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Memory loss can be a real headache when you hit menopause, and once again it’s caused by loss of oestrogen which has a positive effect on cognitive function, explains Dr Marilyn Glenville, ‘It’s usually temporary – your brain fog will eventually lift – but alcohol has a well reported negative impact on memory and so drinking at this stage in your life is likely to compound the problem. Throughout menopause – and beyond – try to do like the French and only drink alcohol as an accompaniment to food. This will slow down its effect on your brain and your body. Have a glass of water at the same time (or opt for a half and half spritzer) to further dilute the effects. Stick to the guidelines of no more than two to three units on any day (one medium glass of wine or one pint of beer) but also try to have three alcohol-free days weekly and – even better – try to avoid drinking on consecutive days.’
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Posted by 11280Adrienne Wyper
Posted by 11320Carol Muskoron