Women who eat a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise are more likely to start menopause earlier than their peers, according to a new study published in the journal Menopause.
Japanese researchers worked with 3,100 premenopausal women over the span of 10 years. The women were between 35 and 56 years of age at the outset of the study, and about 1,800 underwent menopause during the decade-long follow-up.
The researchers found that those women who exercised at least eight to ten hours a week were 17 percent more likely to reach menopause during the study than the women who got little to no exercise. Similarly, women who ate the most polyunsaturated fats – the ‘good’ fat from fish and vegetable oils – were 15 percent more likely to start menopause.
Menopause, which usually begins between ages 41 and 55, occurs when the body stops producing eggs. Because these women have less exposure to high levels of estrogen, menopause has been linked to a decrease in the risk of breast cancer. It is also linked to increased risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, but the researchers say that the benefits far outweigh the risks.