Avoid junk food, doctors tell women in mid-30s

PATNA

: Women aged 35 years and more should avoid junk and fried food items as well as aerated drinks, advise medical experts.

Menopause

occurs in women in India generally after they attain the age of 40 years. “Women should start taking care of their diet before this natural cessation of menstruation. We advise a well-balanced diet and regular exercise in the run-up to menopause,” said Patna Menopause Society president Dr Usha Didwania while addressing a daylong continuing medical education (CME) event in Patna on Saturday.

She said women undergo a number of hormonal changes during the menopause which causes physical and mental distress. “As the body’s oestrogen levels dips during this time, women experience several changes in the body. Withdrawal symptoms, although natural, are still distressing. They may develop blood pressure and hypertension, among other things,” Dr Didwania said.

Gynaecologists also advise women to get proper treatment of the ailments they suffer from. “Women are advised to consume less sugar and less salt. They should take calcium and vitamin D. We often ask women to go for a 30-minute walk every day for five days a week or practise yoga,” Dr Didwania said.

Mahavir Cancer Sansthan’s associate director Dr Manisha Singh said the incidence of cancer may increase in women as they age. “The 40+ women happen to have been exposed to various toxicities present in the atmosphere for a longer period of time,” she said and added this increases the chances of cancer in them.

Dr Singh, however, clarified that there was no set rule to link a particular type of cancer to a particular age group. “We go by the trend. Leukaemia, for instance, is generally seen to affect young children. Or, breast cancer has been seen to affect more women between 30-35 years of age,” she said.

Around 150 gynaecologists from Bihar attended the CME.