Researchers believe that hot flashes during menopause have many underlying factors; most link the condition to the adrenal and hypothalamus glands and their roles in hormone and temperature regulations. While vitamins do not directly stimulate hot flashes, insufficient amounts of certain vitamins prevent the body from creating the hormones that help to regulate temperature. For relief, try increasing your intake of the following vitamins that have a hand in creating hot flashes in menopausal women when taken in insufficient amounts.
Vitamin C
In her book "The Premature Menopause Book," author Katheryn Petras discusses the relationship between hot flashes, vitamin C and the hormone progesterone. Petras states that after menopause, the majority of estrogen is produced in the adrenal glands with the help of a chain of events stemming from vitamin C and progesterone; vitamin C is required to make progesterone and progesterone to make estrogen. The Bastyr Center for Natural Health states that hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings occur when estrogen and progesterone are imbalanced.
Bioflavonoids
This group of compounds is found predominately in citrus fruits and forms the relatively unknown P vitamin family. In her book "Menopause the Natural Way," Dr. Molly Siple states that insufficient amounts of bioflavonoids in the body can produce hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms due to the chemical resemblance of bioflavonoids to estradoil, the primary form of estrogen. Menopausal women who increase their daily intake of bioflavonoids through citrus fruits, papaya, plum, green peppers, broccoli or buckwheat may help to relieve hot flashes, according to Siple.
B Vitamins
As a precursor to hormonal function, B vitamins help to create the steroid hormones estrogen, progesterone and testosterone in the adrenal glands. The direct role of vitamins B5 and B6 on adrenal health has prompted many doctors to prescribe B complex vitamins as part of perimenopause and menopause treatments. Dr. Siple suggests the teetering of estrogen levels in the body and hot flashes that coincide are often due to mixed signals between the adrenal cortex and hypothalamus gland.
References
- "The Premature Menopause Book"; Katheryn Petras; 1999
- Bastyr Center for Natural Health: Black Cohosh for Menopausal Relief
- "Menopause the Natural Way"; Molly Siple, N.D.; 2001
- Heartspring.net: Natural Approaches to Perimenopause
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin B6
