Experts share insights on healthy bones, heart, gut and libido maintenance during menopause

11 Jul 2024 --- With the ever-expanding scientific understanding of the changes women’s bodies go through during menopause, the nutrition industry drives new ingredients and products to address the challenges associated with this important and unavoidable part of women’s lives.

Nutrition Insight discusses further the latest research and development, as well as the well-established solutions to ensure a comfortable and healthy life with menopause with industry experts from Gencor, Lycored, IFF, Gnosis by Lesaffre, ADM, Kaneka Probiotics and Stratum Nutrition.

“There is a lot to learn about menopause and how it affects women’s health. By increasing research and development in the field, as well as clinical research into alternatives, the menopause market can continue to evolve. Especially by focusing on providing more clinically validated, fast-acting ingredients,” tells us Maggie McNamara, VP of marketing at Gencor, tells us. 

“These ingredients aim to provide effective relief to peri- and menopausal women as they navigate their daily lives. Additionally, we anticipate increased functional food and beverage launches as consumers seek products that offer ease and convenience in managing menopause symptoms.”

Dr. Elizabeth Tarshish, clinicals and claims substantiation lead at Lycored, adds: “Products that feature clean label ingredients like lycopene and phytosterols are gaining traction for their benefits. Lycopene’s antioxidant properties help mitigate osteoporosis risk, while phytosterols support cardiovascular health. Advanced technology ensures these ingredients are standardized and bioavailable, providing effective doses for better health outcomes.”

Maider Gutierrez, business development lead for women’s health and healthy aging at IFF, points out: “It is truly encouraging to see the shift in how menopause is discussed and understood. Breaking the silence and promoting awareness is essential for women’s health. The demand for personalized solutions drives innovation in the industry, allowing women to choose products that address their needs during the various stages of menopause.”

“Whether it is managing skin and hair changes, maintaining focus or boosting energy, having tailored options empowers women to navigate this natural transition more effectively.”

During menopause, women experience a rapid decline in estrogen levels, leading to an increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures.Bone health
Lycored’s Tarshish points out that one of the most important aspects of managing menopause is the critical issue of maintaining bone health, which can be addressed through lycopene-based products in particular. 

“During menopause, women experience a rapid decline in estrogen levels, leading to an increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Our lycopene-based solutions, like Lycomato, leverage the potent antioxidant properties of lycopene to reduce oxidative stress and bone resorption, thereby helping to maintain bone density,” she explains.

“By supporting bone health, lycopene not only helps to prevent osteoporosis but also enhances overall well-being, allowing women to navigate menopause with greater strength and confidence.”

Silvia Pisoni, global market manager with Gnosis by Lesaffre, looks at vitamin K2 as another solution to compromised bone health due to fluctuation in hormones during menopause.

She further highlights the additional anti-inflammatory benefits of lycopene, which can help alleviate other common menopausal symptoms, making it a comprehensive solution for menopause management.

“By activating vitamin K-dependent proteins already in the body, K2 helps the body properly utilize calcium, simultaneously protecting bone health. Osteocalcin binds calcium to the bone mineral matrix, leading to stronger, denser bones.”

Paula Limena, VP of global marketing, health and wellness at ADM, shares the company’s solution for bones susceptible to health concerns. “Our Novasoy soy isoflavones may reduce the number and frequency of hot flashes and may help maintain healthy bones following the transition into menopause.”

“A combination of ingredients that target the most sought-after benefits, including digestive health, bone health and hot flashes, are surging, and there is much more room for growth. This multi-benefit approach is crucial for the market to evolve to positively impact women’s quality of life during menopause, as well as throughout several life stages,” she asserts.

Joint and cardiovascular health
Gnosis by Lesaffre’s Pisoni adds that vitamin K2 also works to protect against the risk of compromised heart health during menopause. “Matrix Gla Protein inhibits calcium from depositing in arteries and soft tissues, where it can increase cardiovascular risks,” she says.

She explains that vitamin K2 “significantly increased elasticity in cardiovascular arteries, which are prone to age-related stiffening, a contributor to compromised cardiovascular health.” 

“Women who enter menopause at an early age face higher long-term risks for chronic conditions, such as compromised bone and heart health. Our MenaQ7 K2 offers an alternative for supporting both, while our Adonat SAMe and Quatrefolic aid in managing homocysteine levels, which support heart health.” 

Alexis Collins, director of product and brand strategy at Stratum Nutrition points out: “Many women are unaware estrogen levels and markers of cartilage breakdown, such as CTX-II, are inversely related. It is likely to start to arise with the estrogen dips of peri- and menopause.”

Women who enter menopause at an early age face higher long-term risks for chronic conditions, such as compromised bone and heart health.“This is a time when women want to take care of their cardiovascular health, and joint pain is a major obstacle to exercise. NEM is an easy-to-take 500 mg daily dose, and it was clinically studied specifically in healthy, yet sedentary, post-menopausal women (average age 56).” 

She says that the findings of the study were better than anticipated. “When these women were put on a two-week step aerobics exercise program, we expected to see a rise in CTX-II, which we did in the placebo-controlled group, as joints were being moved more than typical. However, what researchers found was that one daily dose of NEM was able to take levels of the cartilage degradation marker, CTX-II, below where it was when the women were sedentary.”

The result was that the women taking NEM also reported significantly less exercise-induced joint pain and stiffness. “Joint support seems invaluable in a peri- and menopausal support formula, as it helps women keep exercising, which helps support so many other aspects of health women seek for peri- and menopause management.” 

Maintaining libido
Gencor’s McNamara brings to light another commonly sidelined yet concerning symptom of menopause — the loss of sexual desire. “A reduction in estradiol (a major female sex hormone) is a typical trait during menopause; symptoms from this can affect women to varying degrees, causing discomfort and distress,” she states.

“The loss of sexual desire in the years around menopause can change. It’s reported that one in every four adult women of all ages experiences this, but despite its prevalence, there are few supplement options. Gencor offers three clinically studied botanical ingredients for women experiencing perimenopause and menopausal conditions.”

 She spotlights the company’s standardized fenugreek extract branded as Libifem. “Libifem has been clinically shown to alleviate the typical symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes and night sweats and support the female hormone estradiol, which boosts sexual desire and vitality.” 

 The second ingredient, Genopause, is a proprietary blend of four botanicals with roots in Ayurvedic traditional medicine originating in India and Nepal. “It has demonstrated an ability to aid in reducing vasomotor and other menopause-associated symptoms. Studies with Genopause also showed an effect on other less discussed items, such as accomplishing more tasks, improvements in mood, patience, stamina, vaginal dryness, sleep and avoidance of intimacy.” 

Maintaining gut health is important to managing menopause symptoms. For ease of perimenopausal symptoms, McNamara highlights the patented saffron extract, affron, shown to aid menopausal complaints in a study. “The results showed that affron was associated with more significant improvements in mood and psychological symptoms than the placebo, including stress, anxiety and mood and a strong tendency to improve hot flashes and sweating.”

Gut support
Kaneka Probiotics’s chief business officer, Jordi Riera, argues that a healthy gut is another vital aspect of minimizing the symptoms of menopause. “There has been a rise in probiotic innovations for menopause, and at Kaneka Probiotics, we have reviewed the root cause of symptoms that most menopausal women experience — such as a decline in estrogen levels.”

“Our proprietary probiotic blend, commercially known as Gyntima Menopause, has shown a potential to support hormone balance through slowing down estrogen decline in healthy peri- and post-menopausal women. This probiotic blend is made up of three strains, one of which being Levilactobacillus brevis KABP 052, which showed the highest capacity for deconjugating estrogen and allowing it back into the bloodstream.”

Riera explains that it also includes Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KABP 051 and Pediococcus acidilactici KABP 021, which the company selected due to evidence of product’s inhibiting opportunistic microorganisms and, therefore, may help improve gut homeostasis.

“The management of hormone balance by Gyntima Menopause takes a more natural route by not adding any hormones or hormone-analogous products but helping the body recover estrogen that would be naturally eliminated,” he states.

“With menopause being an important but under-researched therapeutic area of women’s health, the science behind our probiotic blend is a step in the right direction for more natural ways of managing menopause.”

By Milana Nikolova