What you see on these pat scans made by Lisa Mosconi PhD is that glucose use, marked with red by radioactivity, is decreasing with age as she found it for 80% of women. They experience this loosing capacity of burning glucose in the brain from as early as age 35.
Because the decline in a variety of hormonal activities starting around 35 shows consistent prevalence on the march towards menopause, between menopause and age 35 two more phases are introduced: peri- and premenopause.
The fact that it start so early busts one of the most wide spread myths around menopause, that it hits you at 50, so you can simply ignore it until then. I find these pictures fascinating, and I hope it opens the eyes of younger women as well, who then start working on restoring metabolic health as early as possible.
The decline in use of glucose results in low brain and bodily energy. Does low brain energy sound weird? Or you know how it feels when you rush to the other room to pick up something and when you are there you forget what it was; When you can't grasp the word you wanted to say, so you compromise with the second best word instead; when you can't remember where you parked your car, and when you keep thinking through the night.
The calorie-burning engine slows down and impacts not only the brain but the waist line and eating habits. Women may start feeling hungry after eating and may develop insulin resistance and problems related to blood sugar spikes.
Let's find safe, effective and natural solutions!
One is supplements: There are supplements you may take for blood sugar or insulin regulation, like rhodiola (100-200 mg once or twice a day), an adaptogenic herb, berberine ( right dosage is depending on your age and medical conditions. Contraindication e.g. immunosuppressants. 500mg 2 to 3 times a day for up to three months was found to control blood sugar levels as effectively as metformin or rosiglitazone), and/or cacao flavonoids (150-200 mg / day. Take raw cocoa powder as cacao tea or 90-100% dark, sugar free chocolate).
And the truth is that while our current culture is fixated on putting things in the mouth let it be food, drinks or supplements, in reality the most successful tools to overcome or prevent these happenings is shorter, daily eating window and certain ways of exercising.
See more on eating window in my former blog. Is fasting good for you?
We will talk more about changes after 35 in our next Midlife conversations in Auderghem 11:30-13:00 on 10. December. Let me know if you'd like to join.
Please register by Friday:
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