Oftentimes in the social communication of health concepts, no matter how complicated they may be, many factors get reduced to just a few.  What we see and hear about pre-menopause and menopause often focuses solely on estrogen “deficiency,” while other complex factors affecting a woman’s health are ignored. 

One of these important factors during The Change is the health of our adrenal glands (and our overall glandular health), yet we hear very little about it.  During per-menopause, when our ovaries decrease their production of estrogen and progesterone, our adrenals are part of a back-up system for us, making smaller but steady amounts of these hormones. They also regulate minerals in the body, aid in digestion, and work with the thyroid to maintain your energy levels. The adrenals are also known as our “stress glands” because they release several hormones, including adrenaline and epinephrine, in response to stress. 

During such times, the adrenals begin to produce extra amounts of hormones to help us cope.  If our bodies are constantly in a state of stress, and these hormones is being produced non-stop instead of only episodically, our adrenal glands “hyper function”, and can become exhausted and lose their ability to meet the demands of our lives.  “Stress” can include mental and emotional strains like job and family difficulties, lack of or excessive exercise, illness, and the stress that comes from inadequate nutrition or dietary toxins.

What does this have to do with menopause?  A lot.  For one thing, many of the symptoms of adrenal burnout are the same ones often attributed to menopause itself: high blood pressure, dizziness, headaches, sleep-disturbances, overwhelming fatigue, and mood disorders.  And for another, if the adrenals aren’t functioning properly, they will be unable to do their part in making the replacement hormones our bodies need to compensate for the ovaries decreasing output.  So supporting and protecting the adrenals is important.

Like the rest of our bodies, our adrenals need the full spectrum of nutrients obtained in a balanced diet to thrive.  When we’re under stress, our nutritional needs dramatically increase, and the adrenal glands need higher concentrations of key elements to function.  The B-complex vitamins are critical here. Pantothenic acid (vitamin B2) in particular nourishes the glandular system and is used in the production of adrenal hormones.  Without enough, the adrenals begin to degenerate. Whole grains, organ meats, and legumes are all good sources of B vitamins.  Our adrenals also need vitamin C, (found in broccoli, citrus fruits, and many other delicious fruits and vegetables…), zinc (found in red meats, eggs, seafood and pumpkin seeds…), manganese (found in leafy greens, nuts, and whole grains…) and magnesium (found in dark green vegetables, kelp, molasses, whole grains, nuts…).

A healthy diet that includes lots of vegetables, whole grains, and good quality meats and fats will provide us with these nutrients, supporting and protecting our adrenals.  In contrast, diets high in refined foods, like white flour products and sugar take nutrients away from us. Caffeine products like coffee, tea, chocolate and sodas have the same effect, as does alcohol.  When we eat these foods we are not only depriving our bodies of nutrients that we should be getting from our food, but we are also are adding yet another stress to the system, further contributing to adrenal burnout.

To help ease the transition of per-menopause, one thing that we can do is work on nourishing the adrenal glands by eating healthy foods.  It is worth the effort you make to prepare good quality food!  (Your taste buds will thank you, too.)  Again, though, our bodies are complex organisms – no one factor is responsible for everything. We also need to get enough sleep and enough relaxing down time during the day - it is during these times that the adrenals restore themselves.  Regular exercise is also important for glandular health.  And so is simplifying our lives to make them less stressful.

I’ve been focusing on adrenal health, but remember, this is only one part of a larger system.  Good health involves the whole body, and good nutrition will support us throughout our whole lives, not just during menopause.

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