Can legumes and fish help you delay menopause?

When will I start menopause? It’s a question a lot of women worry about, especially if you’re over 40. While a lot of factors -- age, mother’s history, BMI -- determine when the process of menopause will eventually start for you, diet also plays an important role.

According to a recent study by researchers at the University of Leeds, links have been found between diet and the onset of menopause in British women. The study showed that high intake of healthy foods, such as oily fish and fresh legumes, such as peas and green beans were associated with a later onset of the menopause, while a high consumption of refined white pasta and rice was associated with an earlier start.

Analysis of their diet showed that high intakes of oily fish were associated with a delayed start to menopause by nearly three years. A diet with lots of refined pasta and rice showed that menopause was more likely to occur one and a half years earlier than average. Study co-author, Janet Cade, said: “The age at which menopause begins can have serious health implications for some women.” 

A diet rich in legumes—beans, peas, and lentils—and fish may put off the natural onset of menopause, a new study suggests, while foods rich in carbohydrates may accelerate it.

A woman in menopause loses ability to become pregnant, but getting menopause premature (before age 40) or early (age 40 to 45) has several complications.

A loss of bone density, a higher risk of heart disease, and a loss of sexual desire are only some of the consequences of premature or early menopause.

Pushing back your menopause to a later age, on the contrary, might have some health benefits. One recent study suggests a late-onset menopause might keep cognitive decline at bay in senior women.

Eating Fish And Legumes 'Could Delay Menopause By 3 Years'

A diet rich in fish and legumes may help to delay the menopause, while eating lots of refined carbs, such as pasta and rice, may hasten it, researchers have found.

The study of women from England, Scotland, and Wales, which is the first of its kind in the UK, found the average age of menopause to be 51 and certain foods seemed to be associated with its timing. 

The researchers found having a high intake of oily fish and fresh legumes - such as peas and beans - was associated with a menopause delay of more than three years. Higher intakes of vitamin B6 and zinc were also associated with later menopause.

Researchers from the University of Leeds looked at the effect of diet on the onset of the menopause.

Their study involved more than 35,000 women aged between 35 and 69, who provided information on their weight history, physical activity levels, reproductive history, and use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

They also estimated the quantities of 217 food items they ate every day by completing a food frequency questionnaire.

After analysing these women over a four year period, 914 of whom experienced a natural menopause during this time, they found that eating certain foods may influence the age at which they start experiencing symptoms.

For example, those who ate a diet heavy in foods such as beans, salmon and peas were more likely to experience delayed menopause, whereas regular consumption of foods such as pasta and rice was linked to an earlier onset of menopause by 18 months.