Fennel secret weapon against menopause

In “Sex and the City 2,” Samantha announces that she’s “leading the way through the menopause maze” with “my vitamins, my bioidentical estrogen cream, progesterone cream and a touch of testosterone.” When her creams and pills are confiscated in Abu Dhabi, she is outraged. “I need to speak to an ambassador, or an embassy, or someone in menopause!”

Maybe she should have traveled with something less likely to rile the luggage police. Hello, fennel!

This licorice-tasting veggie is packed with phytoestrogens, food-based chemicals that mimic the effects of estrogen in the body. And a study of 90 postmenopausal women found that those who took two capsules containing 100 mg of fennel daily for eight weeks had significant improvement in symptoms such as hot flashes and depression.

Although we have long said that starting hormone therapy soon after menopause using a bioidentical estrogen and micronized progesterone is generally safe and effective as long as you take a low-dose aspirin morning at night, it’s always great to hear about alternative approaches that might be helpful.

And while there are no large studies on the menopause-soothing effects of eating phytoestrogen-rich foods, they certainly won’t harm you. Try cooking up some soybeans, fennel, chickpeas, lentils and flaxseed.

The dangers of time off from exercise

New research shows that if you take a few extra days off from your regular exercising, you could be risking your health. For a study presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity, researchers had 28 healthy, physically active adults who usually get at least 10,000 steps a day, cut down their activity level by 80 percent — with no reduction in calorie intake. That time off produced measurable metabolic changes that put the participants at risk for diabetes and other chronic diseases. They also lost muscle mass and added body fat, especially in the abdomen, a big risk factor for everything from cancer to heart disease.

So don’t let circumstances stop you from staying active! If you usually swim but can’t get to the pool, walk. Usually walk but it’s too hot outside? Use the treadmill. Your goal: 10,000 steps or the equivalent daily (1 minute of activity equals about 100 steps), plus 20 minutes of aerobic activity three days a week, along with two to three 30-minute strength-building sessions and 40 jumps a day.

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.