Menopause is the time when a woman's periods stop and she can no longer get pregnant. The average American woman has her last period when she is 50 years old and officially reaches menopause one year later, when she is 51. Some women have a relatively smooth transition to menopause, but according to MayoClinic.com you may experience uncomfortable symptoms as your childbearing years come to a close. Vitamin C may help address some of your symptoms.
Urinary Incontinence
Menopause is associated with a loss of tissue elasticity. Because of this, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says, you may develop stress incontinence during your transition to menopause. Stress incontinence can cause you to release urine from your bladder if you sneeze, laugh or cough. Cheung and Dr. Balen note that consuming plenty of vitamin C, which aids your body in building collagen, can help you combat the loss of tissue elasticity and therefore help you avoid stress incontinence.
Iron Absorption
MayoClinic.com explains that you may begin to have quite heavy menstrual periods as you approach menopause. The resulting level of blood loss can lead to anemia, or an iron deficiency, which often results in fatigue. In order to absorb more iron from your diet you should eat foods high in vitamin C at the same time you consume iron rich foods.
Skin Health
According to the Boston Women's Health Book Collective, authors of "Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause," eating foods with a high vitamin C content can help to keep your skin in good condition as you go through menopause. Christiane Northrup agrees and says that consuming 200 mg of vitamin C each day has been demonstrated to help protect the skin against harmful effects of ultraviolet light.
Antioxidants
In their book "The All-Natural Menopause Diet: The Drug-Free, Natural Way to Beat Your Symptoms and Lose Weight" authors Theresa Cheung and Dr. Adam Balen advise menopausal women to eat a diet high in antioxidants. Cheung and Balen explain that because of their ability to combat the harmful impact of free radicals, antioxidants offer impressive health advantages. Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of "The Wisdom of Menopause: Creating Physical and Emotional Health During the Change" also recommends an antioxidant-rich diet to menopausal women. Dr. Northrup characterizes vitamin C as an especially strong and effective antioxidant.
A Diet Rich in Vitamin C
Kate Bracy Kalb, author of "The Everything Health Guide to Menopause" advises that vitamin C is plentiful in vegetables and fruit that are vibrant in color. Produce items that are especially high in vitamin C include asparagus; fresh, raw, broccoli; Brussels sprouts; cabbage; cauliflower; kale; spinach; water cress; fresh, raw, red peppers; fresh, raw yellow peppers; fresh, raw green peppers; berries; lemons; limes; strawberries; oranges; grapefruit; tangelos; tangerines; baked potatoes; turnips; parsley and sweet potatoes.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Menopause
- American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Midlife Transitions: A Guide to Approaching Menopause
- "The Wisdom of Menopause: Creating Physical and Emotional Health During the Change"; Christiane Northrup, M.D.; 2006
- "A Woman's Guide to Menopause & Perimenopause" Mary Jane Minkin, M.D. and Carol V. Wright, Ph.D.; 2005
- "The Menopause Book"; Pat Wingert and Barbara Kantrowitz; 2009
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