Key Points
-
Menopause gives rise to an increase in the rate of the ageing process, thus causing premature ageing.
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Oxidative stress occurs with menopause-related loss of oestrogens, this being responsible for premature ageing and much their of its associated physiological deterioration.
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Polyphenols are a group of pigments widely distributed in plants and are responsible for colouring. Besides, they play a protective role due to their antioxidant activity.
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Antioxidants, concretely polyphenols, can decrease the oxidative stress situation during menopause.
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Diets rich in polyphenols, especially flavonoids such as soy food and tea, can decrease the physiological consequences and symptoms of menopause, improving the state of health.
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Diets and supplements containing flavonoids such as isoflavones (phytoestrogens) could be an alternative to the pharmacological treatments frequently prescribed for menopausal and postmenopausal women.
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Since polyphenols improve immune system function, which is a marker of health, biological age and a predictor of longevity, the ingestion of these antioxidants could aid in slowing down the ageing process during menopause.
Keywords
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Abbreviations
- ER:
-
Estrogen receptor
- CAT:
-
Catalase
- GPx:
-
Glutathione peroxidase
- GSH:
-
Reduced glutathione
- GSSG:
-
Oxidized glutathione
- HRT:
-
Hormonal replacement therapy
- Mn-SOD:
-
Mn-Superoxide dismutase
- ROS:
-
Reactive oxygen species
- TNFα:
-
Tumor necrosis factor alpha
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by grants of the MCINN (BFU2008-04336; BFU2011-30336), Research Group of UCM (910379ENEROINN) and RETICEF (RD06/0013/0003) (RD12/0043/0018) (ISCIII).
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Baeza, I., De la Fuente, M. (2013). The Role of Polyphenols in Menopause. In: Hollins Martin, C., Watson, R., Preedy, V. (eds) Nutrition and Diet in Menopause. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-373-2_4
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