Beetroot Juice: A simple solution to heart health after the menopause

For women in midlife, navigating the menopause may throw up unexpected challenges. You expect hot flushes and weight gain, instead you’ve got insomnia, frozen shoulder and bouts of anxiety. Sorry ladies – an increased risk of heart disease is one more to add to the post-menpause list. But recent research reveals a promising natural solution: beetroot juice! What makes beetroot juice so beneficial to heart health after the menopause, and how much should you drink?

From Peri-Menopause to Post-Menopause: The Stages and symptoms of menopause

Menopause marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycles and ovulation, occurring after 12 months without a period. From that day on, women are in their post-menopause phase of life. But really, the menopause is more of a transition, which begins at least 5-10 years earlier with the peri-menopause.

A Time of Constant Hormone Fluctuations

Throughout the menopause, from peri-menopause to post-menopause, there is constant readjustment and change.

Notably, the levels of female sex hormones – namely oestrogen and progesterone – will be surging and crashing all over the place.

Menopause-related Symptoms

Menopause-related symptoms result as your body responds to fluctuations in oestrogen and other sex hormones. However, each woman’s menopause experience will be different.

The popular narrative is around hot flushes and weight gain, but there are in fact a whole host of menopause symptoms: 42 and counting!

The 6 most frequently-experienced symptoms related to the menopause include:

sleep disturbance
hot flushes
fatigue
anxiety
weight gain, and
frozen shoulder

Nevertheless, there is one commonality:

In every post-menopausal women, oestrogen levels will decline and settle at a new low.

Why Is Post-Menopausal Health Important?

An important point to consider is that natural menopause typically occurs between the late 40s and mid-50s.

But of course this can vary:

Some women may experience Early Menopause in their 30s or early 40s.

Other women have a Surgical Menopause, for instance following a full hysterectomy when both ovaries are also removed.

In the UK, average age at menopause is 51.

Women Are Post-Menopausal for a 1/3 of Their Life

Did you know the average life expectancy for women is 83 years?

Do the maths and it’s clear that women have a significant number of post-menopausal years – 32 on average.

When you spend almost a third of your years in one lifestage, I think it makes sense to know more about health risks and natural health solutions that may work.

Oestrogen – Beyond the Reproductive System

While many think of oestrogen as a hormone which is limited to the reproductive system, it has a far wider role in women’s health:

Oestrogen is produced in the brain, bones, skin, by fatty tissue, by the heart muscle and in blood vessel walls. (So even in post-menopause, there is still some oestrogen being produced.)

Oestrogen also sends signals to these tissues.

The brain, bones, skin and heart all respond in some way to oestrogen.

The Heart Health Challenge

Menopause ushers in a host of health changes. One of the most critical is the increased risk of heart disease.

With heart disease being a leading cause of mortality among postmenopausal women, finding effective and natural preventive measures becomes imperative.

Understanding why this happens is key to taking proactive steps for heart health.

What Does Menopause Do to Your Heart?

Menopause increases heart disease risk through a combination of changes to blood vessel function and cholesterol levels.

Oestrogen and Blood Vessels

As you know, the production of oestrogen declines during menopause.

But in the heart, oestrogen helps maintain nitric oxide levels.

Nitric oxide works as a vasodilator. It expands the blood vessels, improving blood flow and blood pressure, making it crucial for blood vessel health.

As oestrogen levels fall through menopause, nitric oxide levels decrease, leading to restricted blood flow and increased blood pressure, significantly raising the risk of heart disease.

Oestrogen and Good and Bad Cholesterol

Additionally, menopause is associated with changes in cholesterol levels.

Often levels of LDL-cholesterol (the bad type) increase, while HDL-cholesterol (good cholesterol) decreases.

This further contributes to increased heart disease risk.

The Beetroot Juice Solution

Enter beetroot juice, a potent natural remedy backed by recent research from Penn State.

According to a new study published in Frontiers in Nutrition, daily consumption of beetroot juice can significantly improve blood vessel function in postmenopausal women, potentially reducing the risk of heart disease.

In other words:

For women who have transitioned through the menopause, there’s a way to keep their hearts healthy. These benefits come from drinking a daily shot of beetroot juice. This food-focused addition helps keep the tubes that transport blood round the body in great shape.

How It Works

Beetroot juice is rich in nitrates, which the body converts into nitric oxide.

You’ll recall that nitric oxide helps blood vessels expand, facilitating better blood flow and reducing strain on the heart.

It achieves this by improving endothelial function. (The endothelium is an ultra-thin layer of cells lining the inside walls of your blood vessels.)

This process is particularly beneficial for postmenopausal women who naturally produce less nitric oxide due to the decrease in oestrogen levels.

FAQs About Drinking Beetroot Juice

How Much Beetroot Juice Can I Drink Daily?

When considering how much beetroot juice to drink as part of your natural solution to promote a healthy heart, you can follow the data from published studies.

The recent research recommends consuming approximately 70ml of beetroot juice daily.

Participants in the study drank one bottle of concentrated beetroot juice every morning for a week. Each serving provided as much nitrate as you would get from three large beets.

2. Is Drinking Beetroot Juice Safe?

There are certain situations, conditions and medications where drinking beetroot juice is not advisable. This includes:

When taking blood pressure or blood sugar medications: beetroot may reduce your need for medications.
When following a low-FODMAP diet: beetroot contains fructans, typically avoided by those eating low-FODMAP foods
When eating a low-oxalate diet: beetroot is high in oxalates, a food-based anti-nutrient that interferes with calcium absorption. People with kidney stones, osteopenia or osteoporosis may only want to eat beetroot infrequently.

This list is not exhaustive, so if needed have a word with your regular healthcare practitioner to confirm whether you can regularly drink beetroot juice and how much they suggest.

3. What Can I Drink If I Don’t Like Beetroot?

If you find the taste of beetroot juice unappealing, there are alternatives.

Try blending beetroot juice with other fruits or vegetables. This can help improve its flavour and cut through the rich, mineral taste.

Carrot, apple and ginger are popular foods to blend with beetroot.
Add a splash of water to further dilute the taste.

But I’ll suggest another work-around:

Nitrate-rich vegetables.

Vegetables with the highest-nitrate content include celery, chard, spinach, lettuce, arugula and watercress.
Consume these regularly for a boost to your nitric oxide levels.

The Bottom Line

Heart health is a vital aspect of aging gracefully and healthily. By making conscious choices about what you consume, you can significantly influence your well-being.

Today, we’ve considered how beetroot juice offers a promising, natural way to support heart health after the menopause.

You could explore this simple, food-based swap by integrating beetroot juice into your daily regimen. Start slowly, and build up to 70ml a day, the amount used in the majority of studies.

Remember, there’s much more to eat beyond beetroot! Using everday foods as medicine is a powerful step toward improved cardiovascular function and overall well-being. Working with a nutritional therapist can provide personalised guidance, helping you navigate through different life stages with a tailored approach to nutrition.

Over To You

Are you thinking red and ready to try a daily dose of beetroot juice?

Or does drinking a Green Heart Health Juice have greater appeal?

Maybe heart health after the menopause wasn’t something you’ve thought about before.

Wherever you’re at, I’d love to hear about your next step to remarkable health. Leave your comment below.

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