Question:

Hi Karen

I've just hit my 40's and had a high cholesterol reading. What nutrition advice do you have for women in their prime!

Answer:

If you're a woman in her 40s it's likely that you've started to face changes to your body. These changes can have big effects emotionally and physically, but the good news is that a wealth of ongoing research is being conducted into your specific nutrition requirements to best protect your health. Surprisingly the risk of heart disease for women 40 plus is 1 in 3. Past protection from heart disease is lost with hormonal changes of menopause and the risk is now similar to that for men. A little known fact is that five times more women die from heart disease than breast cancer. Therefore there is even a greater need now to protect heart health.

The range of nutrients shown to help keep the heart healthy include anti-oxidants, soy protein, folate, dietary fibre and omega-3 fats.

Populations with low rates of heart disease have diets rich in anti-oxidants such as vitamin E. Interestingly, some studies suggest that the protective effect is only when the Vitamin E is consumed as food not supplements. Wholegrains and nuts are excellent sources of Vitamin E. The Iowa Women's Health study reported that women who ate at least one serve of wholegrain foods a day had substantially lower risk of dying from heart disease than women who didn't eat any wholegrain foods. Whether it's the vitamin E in the wholegrains or a combination of dietary factors that offers this protection is still not clear.

Scientific research has indicated that folate has benefits other than protecting against having a baby born with a neural tube defect. Folate has also been shown to provide extra protection to coronary arteries in people with raised levels of homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine in the blood have been associated with increased risk of heart disease. Good food sources of folate include citrus fruit, berries, green leafy vegetables, asparagus, fortified breakfast cereals, breads and fruit juices, lean meat especially liver and kidney and vegemite.

Dietary Fibre - it's the soluble fibre such as beta glucan found in oats and barley that can lower cholesterol levels by decreasing absorption and increasing cholesterol excretion. To make a significant difference to your levels you need to consume at least 2.9 grams of beta glucan each day. This is provided by roughly 60g of traditional oats, about a large bowl of muesli or other high oat based cereal. Legumes (dried beans and chick peas) and fruit also contain soluble fibre.

Omega-3s help to keep your heart healthy by lowering blood triglyceride ( a type of fat in the bloodstream), lowering blood pressure, reducing the risk of blood clotting and regulating heart beat. The major omega-3s are DHA and EPA found in oily fish and ALA derived form plant sources such as nut and seed oils. There are now a number of omega -3(DHA) enriched foods such as breads, milk, yoghurt and eggs which offer an alternative for people who don't eat fish.

For further information www.allergy.org.au