Eating A Lot Of Carbohydrates Specially Rice May Advance Menopause

Eating lots of carbohydrates, particularly white pasta and rice, may advance the start of menopause by about one and a half years, reported in a new study. The findings, published in the journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, showed that high intake of healthy foods such as oily fish, fresh legumes, peas and green beans, was associated with later onset of menopause. "There are a number of causes that have been considered for the relationship between age and start of menopause, such asgenetic factors or behavioural and environmental exposures. But there are fewer studies that look at the impact of diet." The study used data from more than 14,150 women living in Britain. Along with a detailed diet questionaire, an initial survey collected information on reproductive history and health. When a follow up survey and questionaire were conducted four years later, the researchers were able to assess the diets of women who had experienced the onset of natural menopause in the interim. The average age at the start of the menopause for women in Britain is 51 years. More than 900 women between the ages of 48 and 65 experienced a natural start of their menopause at the time of follow up survey, meaning they had not menstruated for at least 12 months and menopause had not been brought on by such things as cancer, surgery or pharmaceutical treatments.