Following on from our webinar ‘Menopause, Heart Health and Cholesterol‘ we’ve pulled together some of the key resources and references discussed within the webinar, plus some additional ones on the topic. We have also included useful websites and social media accounts recommended to keep up to date on the subject. If you missed the live webinar, you can watch the recording.
Download a PDF visual summary of the main webinar message.
GUIDELINES, STATEMENTS AND REPORTS
Women’s Health Strategy: Call for Evidence (2021). Department of Health & Social Care. Consultation in England on Women’s’ Health
Women’s Health Plan (2021). Scottish Government. The Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Plan for 2021-2024
The Lancet women and cardiovascular disease commission: reducing the global burden by 2030 (2021). Vogel B et al. Recommendations from an international team of experts and leaders in the field have been generated with a clear focus to reduce the global burden of cardiovascular disease in women by 2030
Soya Nutrition, Health and Sustainability (2021). MyNutriWeb. Our report into the latest research and practical guidance on soya for human consumption
Plant-based eating and cardiometabolic health (2020). Alpro Foundation. Scientific review from global experts covering different plant-based eating patterns and some specific plant-based foods and how these impact cardiometabolic health
Health Survey for England 2019 (2020). National Health Service. Trends in the nation’s health, including proportions of adults with raised total cholesterol, by age and sex
Menopause transition and cardiovascular disease risk: Implications for timing of early prevention: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. (2020). El Khoudary et al. Statement from the AHA on menopause and cardiovascular disease risk
Menopause: diagnosis and management (2019). NICE. NICE guidelines for the management and treatment of Menopause
Health Survey for England (2019). NHS Digital. Trends in the nation’s health and care including menopause statistics
Saturated fats and health: SACN report (2019), The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). Report on saturated fats and health
Cholesterol-lowering effect of plant sterols and plant stanols on blood LDL cholesterol (2014). Official Journal of the European Union. Commission Regulation (EU) No 686/2014 as regards the conditions of use of certain health claims related to the lowering effect of plant sterols and plant stanols on blood LDL-cholesterol
Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to the replacement of mixtures of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) as present in foods or diets with mixtures of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs)and/or mixtures of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs),and maintenance of normal blood LDL-cholesterol concentrations (2011). European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Scientific opinion on the replacement of saturated fats in the diet
STUDIES/RESEARCH
Ten-Year Differences in Women’s Awareness Related to Coronary Heart Disease (2021). Cashman M et al. Study into the awareness of heart disease as the leading cause of death among women, showing awareness is decreasing
Menopause-Associated Lipid Metabolic Disorders and Foods Beneficial for Postmenopausal Women (2020). Ko E-H & Kim H-S. Review discussing dietary recommendations and beneficial compounds, such as vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, phytochemicals-and their food sources-to aid the management of abnormal lipid metabolism in postmenopausal women
Reduction in saturated fat intake for cardiovascular disease (2020). Hooper et al. The review found that cutting down on saturated fat led to a 17% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease (including heart disease and strokes)
Association of normal-weight central obesity with all-cause and cause-specific mortality among postmenopausal women (2019). Sun Y et al. The findings underscore the need for future public health guidelines to include the prevention and control of central obesity, even in individuals with normal BMI
Cumulative meta-analysis of soy effect over time (2019). Jenkins DJA et al. Evidence of a significant reduction in total and LDL cholesterol with daily soya protein intake
Nuts and Cardiovascular Disease (2018). Bitak & Sebate. Study showing that a daily serving of nuts reduced total-C by 5.1% and LDL-C by 7.4%
Nuts and cardiovascular disease (2018). Bitok E and Sabate J. Meta-analysis showing a daily serving of nuts resulted in a reduction in total cholesterol -5.1%, LDL-cholesterol -7.4% and total to HDL ratio -5.6%
HDL metrics and atherosclerotic risk in women (2018). El Khoudary et al. Higher HDL cholesterol may not always be as protective in postmenopausal women as we once thought
Beyond the Cholesterol-Lowering Effect of Soy Protein: A Review of the Effects of Dietary Soy and Its Constituents on Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease (2017). Ramdath DD et al. Summary of evidence on benefits of non-protein soy components in relation to known CVD risk facts such as hypertension, hyperglycemia, inflammation and obesity
The effect of oat β-glucan on LDL-cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol and apoB for CVD risk reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials (2016). Research into the mechanisms for oats and barley in cholesterol lowering
The effect of oat β-glucan on LDL-cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol and apoB for CVD risk reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials (2016). Ho H et al (2016). A meta-analysis of 58 studies with almost 4,000 participants which showed an average daily intake of 3.5g oat beta-glucan over 6 weeks reduced LDL and non-LDL and apolipoprotein B by 4.2%, 4.8% and 2.3% respectively
Extracted or synthesized soybean isoflavones reduce menopausal hot flash frequency and severity: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (2012). Taku K et al. A meta-analysis reviewing a total of 13 studies showed that approximately 50mg isoflavones daily (as 2 servings of soya foods or drinks) could help reduce the severity and frequency of hot flushes
Red alert for women’s heart: the urgent need for more research and knowledge on cardiovascular disease in women: Proceedings of the Workshop held in Brussels on Gender Differences on Cardiovascular disease (2011), Maas et al. Summary report showing that women remain under-represented in many CVD clinical trials and there’s a need for better understanding of the differences that exist between men and women in terms of heart health
Soy protein reduces serum cholesterol by both intrinsic and food displacement mechanisms (2010).Jenkins DJA et al. Study showing that soy remains one of a few food components that reduces serum cholesterol (>4%) when added to the diet
Menopause and the metabolic syndrome: the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (2008) .Janssen I et al. Study finding a sharp increase in LDL cholesterol during the 1-year period around the final menstrual period
Effect of potentially modifiable risk factors associated with myocardial infarction in 52 countries (the INTERHEART study): case-control study (2004). Yusuf S et al. The INTERHEART study shows that cardiovascular disease in women manifests later in life than in men, with the first acute myocardial infarction occurring about 9 years earlier in men than in women
Implications of the INTERSALT study(1991). Stamler R. Even modest reductions in blood pressure have beneficial public health benefits. Reducing systolic BP by just 2-5mmHg may reduce stroke by 6-14% and CHD by 5-9%
PRACTICAL RESOURCES – HEART UK’s ULTIMATE CHOLESTEROL LOWERING PLAN© (UCLP©)
UCLP© online Main webpage for the UCLP©
Heart UK UCLP© Menopause Resources (2021). New resources developed to support the use of the UCLP© for Menopause including Case Studies, Recipes and Factsheets
UCLP© At a Glance(2020). A factsheet providing a quick introduction and overview into the UCLP©. It also includes useful practical advice and swaps
UCLP© & Vegan Diets(2020). A factsheet giving advice on how the UCLP© can be followed on a vegan diet
The UCLP© Booklet (2019). Outlines the full step-by-step cholesterol lowering plan in detail, as well as has useful checklists, simple swap ideas, recipes, and lots of top tips
The UCLP© (Factsheet for health professionals (2019). Factsheet to support the UCLP©
UCLP© Recipes Nutritious heart health recipes to support healthy cholesterol levels. All dietitian approved
OTHER PRACTICAL RESOURCES
Eating Well for Menopause (2021). Dr Laura Wyness and Lynn Burns Registered Nutritionists. E-Book to help women navigate the myths and truths of eating well through menopause
The Nutrition Academy. HEART UK. Sign up to the HEART UK’s professional nutritional academy where you can sign up to e-news, learn about dietary recommendations and have access to patient resources
Cholesterol (2021). British Dietetic Association (BDA). Fact sheet all about cholesterol and top dietary tips for lowering cholesterol
Top ten nutrition tips for the menopause (2020). Angie Jefferson RD for the BDA. Easy ideas to help with achieving a healthy diet during menopause
The DASH Diet (2020). Priya Tew RD. An outline of the DASH diet, one of the approaches discussed within the webinar as a heart-healthy diet beneficial for menopause
Heart Health (2020). BDA. Fact sheet with practical information on how to keep the heart healthy
Saturated Fats (2020), The National Health Service (NHS). Top tips for reducing saturated fats
Menopause and diet: Food Fact Sheet (2019). BDA. Food fact sheet covering all things menopause and diet
Menopause (2018). The NHS. An overview about menopause including symptoms and management
Helping to protect yourself from heart disease and stroke (2019). British Nutrition Foundation Top tips from the BNF for a healthy heart
Menopause and Diet (2019). BDA. Food fact sheet with advice on weight gain, bone health and heart health
Taking control of saturated fats (2018), British Heart Foundation. Patient leaflet all about reducing saturated fats
Stanols and Sterols (2018). BDA. Fact sheet looking into the role of stanols and sterols in reducing cholesterol
Understanding Your Cholesterol Test Results. Heart UK. Resource to help individuals understand what cholesterol and triglyceride results mean and see if they are in the healthy range
Soya foods (2017). BDA. Food fact sheet covering the nutritional profile of soya foods, including advice on soya and menopausal symptoms
The Menopause. NHS Inform. Information about all aspects of the menopause
ONLINE COURSE FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
Eating Well for Menopause – Online course developed by Lynn Burns and Laura Wyness, including 19 lessons. Accredited by the AfN.
APPS
Balance. A free app developed to enable women to track their symptoms, access personalised expert content, share stories and lots more
FoodSwitch An award-winning health app to help people make healthier choices. Scan the barcodes of food and drink products and find out whether they are high (red), medium (amber) or low (green) in fat, saturates, sugar and salt, and find healthier yet similar alternativesSocial Media
SOCIAL MEDIA
@heartukcharity (Twitter), @heartukcharity (Instagram) & HEART UK (Website) for HEART UK
@Laura_Wyness (Twitter), drlaurawyness (Instagram) and Dr Laura Wyness (Website) Dr Laura Wyness Registered Nutritionist
@thebhf (Twitter), @the_bhf (Instagram) and British Heart Foundation (Website) for the British Heart Foundation
@escardio (Twitter), europeansocietyofcardiology (Instagram) & European Society of Cardiology for the European Society of Cardiology (Website) for the ESC
@worldheartfed (Twitter) and World Heart Federation (Website) for the World Heart Federation
@TheMenoCharity (Twitter), themenocharity (Instagram) and The Menopause Charity (Website) for the Menopause Charity
Women’s Health Concern (Website) for Women’s Health Concern
@BrMenopauseSoc (Twitter) and British Menopause Society (Website) for the British Menopause Society
@menomatters (Twitter), menopausematters (Instagram) and Menopause Matters (Website) for Menopause Matters
RELATED MYNUTRIWEB CONTENT
Future Proofing Heart Health: The Role of LDL Cholesterol & Diet (2021). Webinar with Alan Flanagan on LDL cholesterol and health and supporting resource blog
All Things Diet and Heart Health (2021) – webinar with Dr Wendy Hall and RD Juliette Kellow covering the dietary aspects of heart health and supporting resource blog
Roundtable on Soya Nutrition Health and Sustainability (2021). Expert panel covering all things soya, including the role of soya in menopausal symptoms
Cholesterol and food – new science based plan (2020) An outline of the UCLP© and the evidence behind it
Cardiometabolic Series– Part 1 (2020), A webinar with Professor Bruce Griffin and Professor David Jenkins discussing the types of dietary patterns impacting on cardiometabolic health
Cardiometabolic Series – Part 2 (2020), Part 2 of the series
Will the SACN report put an end to the saturated fat debate? (2020). Discussed the debate around saturated fats and heart health
The Truth About Soya (2020). Mark Messina discusses soya, including the role of soya foods at alleviating menopausal symptoms and the role of soya in CVD
UCLP© Webinar (2019) RD Elphee Medici talks through the UCLP© and how it can be applied in practice
