Safety of natural supplements or superfoods and HRT for women over 45

We carefully chose a blend of superfoods when developing our Healthy Mummy Smoothie 45+ to make sure it supports the health of women over the age of 45.

Here at The Healthy Mummy, we research the latest scientific information before we create our tailor-made products.

We love educating and supporting mums with all their health needs which is why we’d love to share with you the results of the safety profile of the superfoods we selected to support your health and wellbeing.

Superfoods and their safeness for women over 45

Soy

Please also note that we ONLY ever use non-genetically modified soy in our smoothies.

The protein in our Healthy Mummy Smoothie 45+ comes from non-GM soybeans.

Lots of research has been done on soy and it has been found to be useful in preventing and treating the symptoms of menopause like:

• cooling hot flushes
• improving memory
• reducing bone loss
• relieving vaginal dryness
• vaginal atrophy (causing itching, burning and painful intercourse)

In fact, The North American Menopause Society recommended soy either alone or in combination with other lifestyle changes to combat the symptoms of menopause.

Soy and safety

Soy is considered a low-risk remedy for women aged 45 or older.

The evidence from recent large, high-quality reviews on soy has suggested soy may have a protective effect against hormone-dependent cancers including breast cancer, ovarian cancer and lung cancer.

The Journal of Cancer, in their paper published in 2017 titled ‘Soy foods, isoflavones, and breast cancer’, concluded soy was not only beneficial in preventing breast cancer it could also be safely eaten once breast cancer was diagnosed.

Despite the amount of research investigating soy, results do vary from study to study. For example, the research on endometrial cancer has found soy to be linked to three differing outcomes: reduced risk, no association at all and increased risk.

Most likely the variation in results is because of the different dosages of soy used in the trials, types of soy tested, duration of the trials and genetic differences in populations compared.

A lot of people ask about soy and thyroid health so let’s deep dive into this juicy topic. In people without a thyroid problem soy is a safe choice.

In people with hypothyroidism, scientists have concluded soy is also safe stating “hypothyroid adults need not avoid soy foods.”

However in a person with a compromised thyroid but who is not medicated, yet is deficient in iodine, it is possible for soy to cause an increased risk of developing symptoms of hypothyroidism.

For this reason, it is important to consume iodine daily which is why we included iodine in The Healthy Mummy Smoothie 45+.

Soy and HRT

When soy was compared with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) soy was found to be a viable alternative to HRT providing relief from hot flushes, muscle aches and pains and vaginal dryness!

Let’s look at other superfood nutrients helpful for women over 45.

Spirulina

Spirulina is one of the most nutritionally concentrated compact whole food known. In 1992 the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared spirulina as the “best food for the future.”

NASA used spirulina with their astronauts as the nutritional value of 1,000kg of fruits and vegetables is equal to 1kg of spirulina!

This complete protein has been studied for its impact on lowering risks of cancer, heart disease, stroke and preventing eyes from cataract formation.

It has also been found to be safe when used as a supplement for women.

Green tea

Green tea may help weight loss and benefit bone health in women over 45 with slightly lowered bone density (that is women who are osteopenic).

Excessive amounts of green tea extract has been linked to liver damage so when we were considering adding it to our Healthy Mummy Smoothie 45+ we researched this point extensively.

What we found was the amount and type of green tea in The Healthy Mummy Smoothie 45+ is safe for liver and kidney function.

Cranberry

Cranberry is well known for preventing urinary tract infections and may even be useful for menopausal women’s memory as well as their heart health.

Cranberry is considered safe for women.

Grape seed

Grape seed extract has been tested on menopausal women and found to be effective in improving the physical and psychological symptoms of menopause while increasing muscle mass and reducing blood pressure.

Grape seed is considered safe for women.

Blood thinner medications

If you have been prescribed blood thinner medication, for example, warfarin, you should always check the impact of any new supplement or change in the way you eat, even if it is a healthy change, with your blood viscosity. This can be measured via blood test called international normalised ratio (INR).

Nutrients that are rich in healthy compounds like green tea, cranberry, grape seed, spirulina and soy may have an impact on changing the strength of your blood thinning medication so please do schedule in a conversation with your doctor or whoever is giving you regular blood viscosity checks.

Safety wrap up

Let’s wrap up our discussion on the safety of superfoods and super-nutrients as complementary therapies by handing it over to our friends at The British Menopause Society and Women’s Health Concern 2016 who recommend, “diet and lifestyle advice should be incorporated into the routine management of all women in the menopause transition and beyond.”

They concluded superfoods and super-nutrients ”appear to demonstrate benefits for symptom relief” with little risk to women.

Read about the foods and nutrients that help support peri-menopausal women’s health.

Read about the foods and nutrients that help support menopausal women’s health.

Get your hands on our Healthy Mummy Smoothie 45+ today!

Healthy Mummy Smoothie 45+ contains a unique combination of ingredients designed specifically to support the needs of women over 45 years old’

• Vitamin D with Calcium to enhance bone mineral density
• 50% of your Vit D RDI which is critical for bone health
• Good source of Protein for muscle mass maintenance
• Vitamin B6 for balanced hormonal activity support
• Zinc, Vitamin C + E to protect cells from free radical damage

Find out more and buy our Healthy Mummy Smoothie 45+ today!

Join our Healthy Mummy Over 45 Facebook support group to get advice and support from other mums who are over 45.