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The Japanese Secret · My Sexy Menopause Body

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to MySexy Metapaz Body, where we're flipping the script on what it means to feel strong, sexy, and empowered in midlife and real.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_01: Join your host, Ken Nicholson, and she gets real about the changes we face.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: Body, mind, and spirit.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_01: And why this phase of life is an opportunity to redefine what sexy means on your terms.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: This is a space for honest conversations, expert advice, and stories from women just like you.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, let's go.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: Hi there, everybody, and welcome to this episode of My Sexy Menopause Body.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Kim Nicholson, and I've got a really exciting episode for you today.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: So let me ask you a question.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Did you know that Japanese women experience far fewer menopause symptoms like hot flashes than women in the United States?
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Hmm.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's not just a coincidence, it's actually a fact that has been studied and backed by science.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: And here's you know the reason that might surprise you.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's largely linked to their diet, specifically their regular intake of soy.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: So before we start talking about the details and the case studies, let me remind you, this episode is based on research and case studies, which I'll link in the descriptions below.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: And as always, always, I highly recommend that you check with your doctor before making any kind of dietary changes.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Because what works for one person may not work for another.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: And especially if you're allergic or you have you're going through some therapies right now that may uh that this may conflict with.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: So please, please, please check with your doctor first.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: But what I will tell you by the end of today's episode, you'll not only learn why soy plays a starring role in Japanese women's health, but you'll also walk away with um some practical ways to incorporate it into your own meals and maybe even help you reduce some of those frustrating menopause symptoms.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get started with some stats first.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm a I'm a numbers girl.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: I really enjoy case studies and numbers.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: I'm kind of a geek that way, but studies show that Japanese women report significantly fewer hot flashes and other menopause uh symptoms than women in the United States.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: So, what's the one big reason?
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: If you haven't guessed it already, it's their diet.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Japanese women consume about 25 to 50 milligrams of phytoestrogens daily.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: This is a natural compound that's actually found in soy foods.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: So compared to less than five milligrams in our diet here in the United States.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: So these phytoestrogens, what they do is they mimic the estrogen in your body, which will may, I should say may, help reduce symptoms caused by dropping your estrogen levels during menopause and postmenopause.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: So essentially, what's happening here is soy acts like a gentle estrogen booster, which could explain why some of the symptoms like high flashes are less severe in Japanese women than they are here in the United States to some of us.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: So, like I said, I will be posting some of the case studies, but I want to review, go over a few of them.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: So let me grab them here and go over a few of the case studies with you because I found it really, really fascinating, and I hope you will too.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: So here we go.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um there was a community-based study of 1,106 Japanese women examined the link between soy consumption and hot flashes.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: So the women in the highest tertile of soy products intake had a 53% lower risk of experience moderate or severe hot flashes compared to those in the in the lowest tertile.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: So isoflavone intake or phytoestrogens found in soy showed a protective effect against hot flashes.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: And again, I'll put I'll post this case study below so you can also dig deeper if you're into case studies like I am.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: And there was another study, and again I'll post the second one here, and it's about fermented soy products and hot flushes.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: So researchers analyzed the diets of, let's see, 200 and can't even read the print.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, 284 Japanese women to determine the impact of soy on hot flushes.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: And their findings were that again, fermented soy products such as miso and NATO were inversely correlated with hot flash severity.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: I find that really interesting.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I like measo soup, so bonus for me.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: Women consuming, again, this is part of the case study, women consuming more fermented soy had milder hot flashes compared to those who consumed less.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: And that case study will be posted as well.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: I've got a couple more, I'll just do one more case study, but I'll I'll post all of them in the description so you can again go ahead and read, get uh take a deeper dive into some of these uh analyses.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: So here's a meta-analysis, which I love meta-analysis.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: They assess the efficacy of soy isoflavones in reducing menopause symptoms that cause hot flashes.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: So their findings were that daily soy isoflavin supplements significantly reduced hot flash frequency and severity, especially with higher doses.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: So fascinating.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Again, but it goes back to just don't run out and get, you know, soy, you know, in increase all your soy protein.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: You want to want you to make sure that you talk to your physician first.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: So basically, again, it kind of says or states here that soy isoflavones appear to mimic estrogen, which of course alleviates alleviating some of the symptoms leading to estrogen decline.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: So I've got like three more case studies here, but I think that I've kind of made my point that there is something really fascinating going on with these case studies here.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: And it's really interesting to take a deeper look into soy products, as again, as long as you're not allergic and not under any kind of cancer therapies or anything else that may harm you if you take soy products.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: So please, again, have that conversation with your physician.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: But these studies definitely demonstrate a clear link between soy-rich diets and reduced metapausal symptoms, like the hot flashes that we're talking about.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: So this evidence supports it.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: The idea incorporating soy into your diet may alleviate some of your symptoms in other populations as well.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: So, how do the Japanese women incorporate soy into their diet?
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: Because I mean, I do enjoy a good tofu stir fry, but I mean I'm not gonna I can't have it every day.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: I hate leftovers the way it is already, so you know I'm not going to have tofu every day.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: But I do I did kind of dive into some of my recipe books, and this is kind of what I found.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: So again, like I said already already said, tofu, whether I put it in stir fries, I can also cube it and put it into soups, and I've also kind of pan-fried it and in cubes and uh put it on top of salads.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: One of my favorites I I talked about last uh episode was Etabami.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: I love these little young soybeans, they are so fantastic, and I eat them by themselves, and I also mix them in in salads.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, a couple things though, I you know, when I do go to an Asian restaurant and I do see that they have it on the menu, I always order two because I take one home and the other one lasts me for three or four days, so I use it as leftovers and I just use it as a really incredible snack.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: But I was at HEB, our grocery store here, and I found that they have edamami in the frozen food section.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's just the little soybeans.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: They're taken out of the shell already, so you just uh thaw them out and you can boil them and you can eat them again like a snack or on top of in soups or stews or you know, even a salad.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: Miso.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: And again, there's many different types of miso, it depends on the strength that you like, but it's basically what miso is for those of you don't know, it's a fermented soy paste.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I love it in soups.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: I also use it in some of my Asian dressings or marinades, you know, like when I'm doing chicken or shrimp.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: I will marinade miso uh with my and garlic and ginger and some crushed red peppers.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: I'm hungry already.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I will use miso, that's another way to use it or to get soy into your pro your daily meals.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: Umy milk is another great alternative to regular milk.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: I've used soy milk in my smoothies and of course in my uh coffee.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: Tempe, which is uh, let's see, it's a firmer, kind of a nuttier soy product that's great grilled.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: If you haven't grilled it, it's really good.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: And you can put it and make it into sandwiches as well, you know, slice it.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's very firm, so it's really uh it's really a treat.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I have seen in the grocery store, I haven't tried it yet, but soy yogurt.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I would assume it's pretty darn good.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a dairy-free alternative for breakfast or for desserts.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I know this week I'm planning on it's on my grocery list to get.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're new to soy, I my recommendation is to start small.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know, just don't dive into this.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Uh add start with like adding tofu to your stir fry or you know, snack on edamami, and you can add spices to your edamami or even roast it if you want to.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: But start small, so you know, just to make sure that your body adjusts to it really easily.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: Now, there was something else that I came across in my research on uh Japanese women and the US women and the differences, and there's a major differences in menopausal symptoms.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, in the US, and I've said this on almost all my episodes so far, menopause is often treated as like a medical problem to fix rather than having it be a natural transition.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: And we do know when you we stop to think about it, it is a natural transition.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: So that mindset that we have here in the United States can add stress and even stigma.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: So in Japan, so I I started diving into Japanese, you know, the Japanese women and their mindset towards menopause.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not I'm I'm not sure I'm gonna pronounce this right.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: I tried to get the correct pronunciation and could not find it.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: But in Japan, menopause is known as Koneki, Konenki.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna I'm just gonna spell it for you.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I apologize for not pronouncing this right, but it's K-O-N-E-N-K-I.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, it's fascinating when you look that up to what this really this term means.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: And this is what I found out as I researched it.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: So, what this what this basically is, is that uh this term for menopause, it's uh it isn't viewed as a condition or something that needs to be treated.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: So just let that sink in, sit with that for a while.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: But what this term means, it's a natural transition as a normal part of life.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: So this perspective removes that stigma that's often associated with metabosity.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: And what I like about this because it shifts the focus to wellness and a more holistic approach to health.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now, even more research that I started going down this rabbit hole, I found more even it was even more inspiring, is how the Japanese culture frames the years after the age of 56.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: They they look at this period as a period of rebirth.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I love that.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: Rebirth, rebirth, I love it after 56.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I just it's refreshing to me.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's a wonderful pivot in a in our mindset.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: So in so in many of these communities, aging is seen as a time of renewal and energy rather than decline.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: Now I'm freaking loving that.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: I love it, and that's a new mindset that I'm gonna take.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: It is a time of renewal and energy for all of us.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: So the word konenki, again, I'm so sorry.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm usually pretty good about that and respectful, but I just could not find it.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um and basically it it's it reflects this attitude about basically it translates to renewal and energy in English.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: So isn't that a nice way to look at menopause as a rebirth, as renewal, and full of energy.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: So now we do know, and again, I've talked about this before, that studies even suggest that when you have a positive outlook on menopause, it can have a huge difference or impact on your physical health.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: So let's look at it this way, women.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: Those of us with a more optimistic perspective report experiencing fewer and less menopausal symptoms.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's a bonus.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a powerful reminder of the connection between mindset and our well-being.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: So how we see this transition basically shapes us how we experience it.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: So in the US, we you know, we don't have a tendency to take this positive attitude to menopause or even aging, as you can tell by the media.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: But, you know, maybe embracing it would be more transformative for all of us.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, after all, it's a chance to take stock and look at our life so far and reevaluate.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: And with the third, you know, and and with you know, being in this some full phase of menopause it's basically one third to one half of our life.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we are also it it's a long period of time.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: So why not look at it as a rebirth?
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: And uh do you know that within the next uh I guess it's like the next six years by 2030, uh one-third of our female population will either be in some state of menopause.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: So guess what?
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we're we're in good company, and there's power in those numbers, and I'm sure we're going to be seeing it a lot more about uh educating and case studies and ways to adapt during this phase, which I'm actually looking forward to because there, like I said on previous episodes, there really hasn't been a lot of case studies out there.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm seeing more and more, and I'm jumping on them and getting all over them and reading them, and I'm trying to bring that information to you.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, I think we're gonna we're setting ourselves up to be in a really good position.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: So, anyway, again, I just want to say about today's episode that you know the Japanese women have shown us that small, little small intentional choices, like incorporating the soy into our diet, can make a meaningful difference during our menopause and our postmenopause.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, it's not about perfection.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's not, it's about finding what works for you.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: Each one of us approached menopause completely different.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just hoping that I share some ideas that may spark an interest or motivate you.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: But don't stop here.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to have you join me for future episodes of MySexy Metopause Body as we get to explore more ways to embrace this chapter of our life with strength and confidence.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: So, for additional resources and recipes, I've got a ton of soy recipes for you.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to visit my site, my website, you know, kimdick.com.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, this isn't just a transition, it's a time for rebirth and to thrive.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: And let's do it together.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: All right, until next time, thank you for listening.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate all of you.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: Share it with others.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: Let's keep building this conversation and this community together.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_01: Until next time, take care of yourself and keep showing up.