Interessa · Jornal O TEMPO

Dia Nacional da Saúde e da Nutrição: a alimentação como aliada no tratamento da menopausa

·1 hr 2 min·5 clips

On National Health and Nutrition Day, discover how food can be a crucial ally for women navigating the complex changes of menopause.

1. Interessa, a Brazilian podcast hosted by Renata Zaccarini, dedicates this episode on National Health and Nutrition Day to the connection between gut health and menopause. 2. The primary guest is Vanessa Costa, a functional clinical nutritionist specializing in women's health and intestinal modulation; co-hosts Jana Fonseca and Renatinha Nunes also participate. 3. The episode's central argument is that menopause symptoms are not purely hormonal events but the culmination of years of intestinal inflammation that could have been addressed through diet. 4. Vanessa Costa states that intestinal dysbiosis — overgrowth of harmful bacteria — intensifies inflammation, impairs nutrient absorption, and disrupts hormonal metabolism, amplifying menopausal symptoms. 5. Host Renata Zaccarini references a 2022 study from the Federal University of Ouro Preto, published in BMC Women's Health, which identified links between intestinal microbiota and hormonal changes in menopausal women. 6. Actress Fernanda Lima is cited as a public example: in 2022, she experienced perimenopause while vacationing in Bahia, developed insomnia, hot flashes, and a 4 kg weight gain she could not reverse without dietary intervention. 7. Vanessa Costa explains that the vagus nerve originates in the intestine and that dysbiosis creates a 'leaky gut,' allowing toxins to cross the blood-brain barrier and cause the memory lapses and mental fog common in menopause. 8. She uses the metaphor of a thief passing through holes in a damaged wall to describe how bad bacteria ferment, irritate, and perforate the intestinal lining, enabling toxin entry into systemic circulation. 9. Xenobiotics — toxins with hormonal receptor affinity, found in ultra-processed foods and petroleum-based cosmetics like mineral oil — are identified as estrogen-receptor blockers that can suppress the body's own estrogen production. 10. Costa recommends the Mediterranean diet as a baseline: abundant vegetables, fruits, fish, chicken, and plant-based fats including avocado, coconut oil, and seeds, with limited red meat. 11. She explains the cortisol-insulin-glucose cycle that disrupts sleep: elevated cortisol at 3 a.m. signals the brain to demand glucose energy, driving insulin spikes, hypoglycemia, and fat storage — a cycle modulated by protein and healthy fat intake. 12. Host Renata Zaccarini shares her own result: over four months of reducing carbohydrates and adding avocado, coconut oil, and nuts, she lost 4.5 kg and reduced body fat from 38% to 29%. 13. Hydration is framed as non-negotiable: the recommended intake is 35 ml per kilogram of body weight daily, rising with exercise, and water must be distributed throughout the day rather than consumed in a single evening dose. 14. Costa explains why drinking water only at night is ineffective: the body filters it rapidly through urination, fat-soluble vitamins consumed at lunch cannot be absorbed without concurrent water intake, and soluble fibers like oats harden without hydration and cause constipation rather than relieving it. 15. Sleep improvement recommendations include a pre-sleep snack of 70% cocoa dark chocolate with red fruits — both rich in tryptophan precursors that promote melatonin production — combined with a 12-hour overnight fast. 16. Costa cautions against immediately introducing probiotics when gut inflammation is active, noting that adding good bacteria during a state of bad-bacteria overgrowth can cause increased fermentation and bloating; dietary improvement must come first. 17. A case study is described in which a patient's mother, following Costa's intestinal modulation protocol, developed bloody diarrhea on day three, sought a proctologist, received a colonoscopy, and had a perforated precancerous polyp removed before it became malignant. 18. The episode's tone is a warm multi-host Brazilian talk-show format: personal disclosures, conversational interruptions, and audience Q&A are woven through expert testimony, creating an accessible and informal atmosphere. 19. This episode is best suited for Portuguese-speaking women in perimenopause or menopause seeking dietary and gut-health strategies to manage symptoms. 20. Listeners who require clinical evidence levels above practitioner testimony, or who do not speak Portuguese, may find the episode insufficient.

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