Best Diets for Female Consumers: Exploring Options and Scientific Evidence
The dietary landscape for women's health is rich and diverse, with four diets—the Mediterranean, DASH, MIND, and flexitarian—offering unique benefits in the areas of chronic disease prevention, mental health, and longevity.
The Mediterranean diet, renowned for its emphasis on vegetables, fruits, lean protein, nuts, seeds, whole grains, unsweetened dairy, and healthful fats, has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 62% [1]. This diet also supports heart health by lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke [3][5]. It aids in diabetes management, improves cognitive function, supports weight management, and promotes better digestion [3]. Furthermore, women who follow the Mediterranean diet tend to have lower rates of chronic diseases and better health in their late 50s and 60s [5].
The DASH diet, specifically designed to combat high blood pressure, does so by emphasising fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy while limiting sodium and processed foods [4]. This diet's cardiovascular protection is especially beneficial for women’s heart health, as heart disease risk rises post-menopause.
The MIND diet, a combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets, specifically targets cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s [2]. It also supports healthy weight loss, which benefits overall metabolic and brain health, critical for aging women.
The flexitarian diet, which encourages mostly plant-based foods with occasional meat, benefits heart health, weight control, and metabolic markers. It helps improve overall diet quality and nutrient intake, which is important for women’s hormonal balance, bone health, and cardiovascular risk.
In summary, the Mediterranean and MIND diets offer significant benefits in cognitive health and cancer risk reduction, the DASH diet focuses on blood pressure and cardiovascular protection, and the flexitarian diet promotes overall nutrient density and plant-based eating with flexibility, supporting women’s long-term health and metabolic wellness.
The guidelines suggest that women aged 19-50 years who are moderately active need approximately 2,000 calories per day according to the DASH diet guidelines. To maintain a healthful diet, the DASH diet recommends 4-5 daily servings of vegetables and 4-5 daily servings of fruit, 4-5 weekly servings of nuts, seeds, beans, and peas, 6-8 daily servings of grains, and a daily sodium intake of 2,300 mg (or 1,500 mg to lower blood pressure further). The guidelines advise limiting calories from added sugars to 10% of total daily calories, saturated fats to less than 10% of total daily calories, and sodium to fewer than 2,300 milligrams daily for adults.
Spanish women who adhere to the Mediterranean diet may be less overweight and have improved quality of life during menopause. The DASH diet may help women maintain better cognitive function after age 70 and potentially reduce cesarean section incidence in women with gestational diabetes.
References: [1] Estruch R, et al. Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet. New England Journal of Medicine. 2013;368(14):1279-1290. [2] Morris MC, et al. MIND diet associated with reduced incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s & Dementia. 2015;11(9):1007-1014. [3] Sofi F, et al. Adherence to Mediterranean diet and health status: a systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2008;87(5):1029-1039. [4] Appel LJ, et al. A clinical trial of the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure. DASH Collaborative Research Group. New England Journal of Medicine. 1997;336(16):1117-1124. [5] Esposito K, et al. Mediterranean diet and type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. Diabetes Care. 2010;33(1):148-156.
- Adhering to the Mediterranean diet may help Spanish women maintain a healthy weight and improve their quality of life during menopause.
- The DASH diet, specifically designed to combat high blood pressure, offers unique benefits in the areas of heart health for women, especially post-menopause, as heart disease risk increases during this period.
- In the realm of overall well-being, the Mediterranean, MIND, and flexitarian diets each promote cognitive health, cancer risk reduction, cardiovascular protection, and weight management, which are vital for aging men and women.
- A healthy diet, such as the DASH diet, emphasizing vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and limiting sodium and processed foods, can support better health for women in their late 50s and 60s.
- Beyond weight loss, the MIND diet, being a combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets, targets cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, which is crucial for aging women.
