The Menopause Microbiome and your Immune Health
Bergamot, Quercetin, Oleuropein … how many of you are getting these powerful and scientifically evidenced nutrients into your diet every day, especially if you are finding that your lung function has changed as you move through menopause?
What about the foods that are also evidenced to help to restore your gut microbiome? Do you know about these? If not, then I talk about these in the short video below.
I have numerous ladies in the MyMT™ Community who continue to have challenges with their lung health after the pandemic. Here in New Zealand the health system remains in crisis with winter flus and colds and I often wonder how many women in their midlife years are affected by winter flu and are finding it harder to recover.
So, here’s my question to you.
No matter where in the world you live, what emphasis are you placing on your gut health and your immune and respiratory health as you move through menopause?
If you are feeling more breathless, and you are in menopause or post-menopause, then you aren’t alone. As your oestrogen levels decline, then this impacts your respiratory function and not only does the right type of exercise matter, but so too does the intake of certain nutrients.
My nutritional focus in the MyMT™ Food Guide which is included in the 12 week online programmes is an anti-inflammatory one. Developed from women’s healthy ageing research, I have now added in a focus on nutrients such as Quercetin, Bergamot and of course, if you have sore joints, then you need to know about Oleuropein – a compound present in cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil.
These are just some of the nutrients that are now evidenced to improve our immune health as we age, especially following the pandemic and the growth in interest in both respiratory and immune health during and after menopause. I share more of these specific immune-boosting nutrients with you below.
Whilst women on my programmes all move through menopause in different ways, depending on everything going on in their lives, one of the most important interventions I share with them is about the important connection between their changing gut health, lung health and their immune health.
The menopause transition is a vulnerable time for women's immune health.
Since the world-wide pandemic, it’s been increasingly obvious that our immune health matters, especially as we get older. As such, I’ve been following the lifestyle science as fast as it is coming out.
Some of that research has been from nutritional science sources, so a big shout-out to the American Nutrition Association (ANA) which quickly formed a task-force of clever nutritional scientists following the pandemic, to bring together the evidence that is helping me to help women on my programmes as well as in my newsletter community.
Whilst there is a note of caution from the ANA Task Force, that these nutritional strategies are supportive only, because no large-scale study has been undertaken to provide long-term data, they have provided an overview of foods, nutrients and food compounds backed up by immune science research.
If you scroll down, I share some of these insights with you, but first I want to remind you about the role of the gut microbiome as you move through menopause too. Many women, like Angela,a Nutritionist below, are confused as to why they become so bloated, despite trying to do ‘all the right things’.
Your Gut Microbiome is Changing During Menopause
Our immune function matters. Especially during menopause – and it starts with your gut microbiome.
Never before have so many women been in their menopause to post-menopause transition. This is why researchers are finally understanding that, with patterns of disease differing between genders, the menopause transition is an important stage of life for women, especially when it comes to the inter-connection between our gut microbiome, our immune health and our nutritional choices.
Humans and their gut bacteria have evolved multiple ways to communicate with and regulate one another. However, this communication can go awry during and after menopause, especially as today, women moving through menopause are the first generation of western women to have come through the dramatic shift in manufactured foods.
I include sports and fitness supplements in this statement too.
As such, not only during menopause, but after menopause, if symptoms have returned, the health of the gut, including microbe diversity, is an important target for healthy ageing, including for improved respiratory function and immunity.
The gut microbiota is a highly complex and diverse ecosystem of micro-organisms living in the gastrointestinal tract. Not many women or their Practitioners understand that as part of the natural ageing of the body during menopause, the gut and the microbiome are changing too.
Researchers now better understand that the type of microbes that live in our gut may affect the types of health problems women experience as they move through menopause. [Siddiqui et al, 2022].
In light of this research, and the fact that there are specific species of microbes that contribute to chronic inflammation in the gut, my brief video below explains some of these foods that are evidenced to improve the abundance of healthy microbes.
Improving Immune Health with Bioactive Nutrients
Identifying that there is a need to reduce inflammation as women get older, the American Nutrition Association’s research, has been integral in bringing attention to the specific nutrients that have bio-active properties which enhance immune function. A woman’s menopause transition is the time to add these to the diet on a regular basis.
- Curcumin (Turmeric).
- Bergamot – part of the citrus fruit family.
- Quercetin – This is a plant pigment (flavonoid) found in numerous foods such as such as leafy green vegetables, broccoli, red onions, peppers, dill, oregano, green tea, apples, berries and red wine.
- Kaempferol – this is another flavonoid which is found in a variety of plants and plant-derived foods including kale, beans, tea, spinach and broccoli.
- Oleuropein – in the MyMT programmes, all of the women know that olive oil matters to their joint health! But they also know that it matters to their immune health as well. This powerful immune-boosting anti-inflammatory compound is fond in extra virgin olive oil and olive leaves.
- Catechins – these are known anti-infectious compounds that are found in certain foods and in Green Tea. Green tea is one of the most popular drinks consumed worldwide. Produced mainly in Asian countries from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, the potential health benefits have been widely studied. It’s a big component of the types of beverages that I advise women to drink in the MyMT™ programmes too.
- Vitamin C – many of us already know that this is an important nutrient for our immune health, but what we need to remember is that it is needed to help white blood cells to fight infections. It is also required to assist the absorption of iron. And adequate iron for those of you in peri-menopause, helps to protect us against vulnerability to infections. If you are in peri-menopause and you are still menstruating, then you need at least 12 mg a day of iron. With the need for Vitamin C, how much time did you spend in the fruit and vegetable section the last time you shopped?
- Vitamin A – this terrific vitamin gets forgotten about in times of infection because most people associate it with eye health. And yes, it is important for our eye health, but it also supports the health of mucosal tissues. Our mucosal tissues are the first point of entry for the virus – think about your nose, mouth and eyes! As well, researchers have found that Vitamin A also helps to regulate our immune system via the Gut Microbiome.
- Vitamin D – you’ve heard it before from me and you are going to hear it again. As we go into menopause, our largest organ, the skin, loses the ability to absorb Vitamin D, especially those women with darker skin. This makes women in menopause susceptible to respiratory infections because this vital vitamin is well known to help to boost our immune system.
10. Vitamin E – Whilst not specifically an anti-viral nutrient, ANA researchers promote this nutrient because it is an efficient anti-oxidant and plays an important role in lung and liver protection. This makes it a powerful anti-oxidant (removes harmful particles) and anti-inflammatory nutrition. It is fat-soluble, which means that it accumulates in lipid (fat) membranes. Some of the best sources of Vitamin E available and which can be stored more readily in your pantry, will be Almonds, Sunflower seeds, Butternut Squash, Avocados and Olive-oil.
11. Zinc and Selenium are also mentioned by the ANA so don’t forget your Brazil nuts – 3-4 brazil nuts can provide your daily dose of selenium, so get some of these in your pantry as well. Cashews, Almonds and Kidney Beans are also great sources of Zinc in the absence of fresh fish, oysters or beef.
Start with the MyMT™ Masterclass on Menopause - only NZ$15
Thank you for being part of the MyMT™ newsletter community and I hope that you can listen to the video below, where I explain the 2 part Masterclass on Menopause webinar – you have access for 3 months and you will learn so much about lifestyle science and menopause!
Dr Wendy Sweet, PhD/ MyMT Founder/ Member: Australasian & British Societies of Lifestyle Medicine
References:
American Nutrition Association (2020). Personalised Nutrition and the Covid-19 Era. Online Access
Ferrando ML, Busonero F, Crobu F, Sanna S. Aging in women – The microbiome perspective. Ageing Res Rev. 2026 Jan;113:102950. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2025.102950. Epub 2025 Nov 19. PMID: 41271113.
Kato, Y., Domoto, T. et al (2014). Effect on Blood Pressure of Daily Lemon Ingestion and Walking. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, Volume 2014, Article ID 912684
Mortaz E, Bezemer G, Alipoor SD, Varahram M, Mumby S, Folkerts G, Garssen J, Adcock IM. (2021). Nutritional Impact and Its Potential Consequences on COVID-19 Severity. Front Nutr. Jul 5;8:698617. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2021.698617.
Reygaert, W. (2018). Green Tea Catechins: Their Use in Treating and Preventing Infectious Diseases. Biomed Research Int’al, pp.1-9 Open Access:
Wenyan Sun, Frost B., & Jiankang Liu (2017). Oleuropein, unexpected benefits! Oncotarget, 8, (11), pp: 17409-17409
