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Leading nutrition experts highlight the different ways men and women process food and recommend dietary adjustments based on sex.
UK dietitians have outlined some intriguing science showing that men and women should ideally eat different amounts of their favorite foods, such as meat, cheese and chocolate, for optimal hormonal and gut health.
“Differences between the sexes and how nutrition affects them can vary depending on factors such as metabolism, sex hormones and body structures,” UK-based registered dietitian Helen Bond said in a new report.
For example, studies show that women can handle larger amounts of meat and cheese because the female sex hormone estrogen can mitigate the harmful effects of excess fat.
“As we discover more, I think it will help us develop dietary recommendations tailored to the needs of men and women,” Bond said.
MEN CAN REALLY DRINK MORE THAN WOMEN
Due to their size and body composition, men can digest alcohol faster than women, meaning it is absorbed into the bloodstream more slowly, resulting in a gradual path to drunkenness.
In general, men tolerate the drink better, says scientist Emma Catterall he told the Telegraph.
Men process alcohol more efficiently than women because they have a higher percentage of water, compared to body fat, said Catterall, head of research at the British charity Drinkaware.
The more water there is in your system, the more diluted the alcohol will be. What’s more, those with higher amounts of fat won’t absorb as much alcohol, meaning it enters the bloodstream quickly.
She adds that because women tend to be smaller than men, their bodies have fewer enzymes to break down alcohol, causing women to absorb it into their bloodstream more quickly. The more alcohol there is in your bloodstream, the more drunk you will be.
Although both sexes are at risk of developing long-term health problems, such as cancer, heart disease, liver disease and mental health problems, the chances are higher for women, Catterall said.
He gave the example of liver disease: “The risk threshold is much lower in women and they are also more likely to quickly develop the disease.”
Still, more men suffer from alcohol-related illnesses than women, because they tend to drink more frequently and in larger quantities. according to the NIH.
Taking these differences into account, the U.S. National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention recommends that women drink no more than seven drinks per week and men drink no more than 14 drinks per week.
…BUT WOMEN CAN ENJOY COCA COLAS MORE
Women have a lower risk of developing diabetes, almost across the board
They may have an advantage when it comes to alcohol, but men can’t handle their sweet tooth as well as women, studies suggest.
Research shows that men are more susceptible to developing diabetes on high-sugar diets.
Boys who drink sweet drinks are more likely to develop diabetes than girls who do, study finds long term study of children in Massachusetts from Harvard.
Other lifestyle choices that can lead to diabetes, such as a sedentary lifestyle, affect men more than women, University of Missouri the researchers found.
Additionally, men have a higher overall risk of developing diabetes than women, even when they consume the same amount of sugar and are less weight, Professor Roy Taylor, a diabetes expert at Newcastle University, told The Telegraph.
WOMEN CAN EAT HIGHER AMOUNTS OF FAT
Red meat is high in fat, which men may experience more intensely than women.
Some studies suggest that women’s bodies are better able to handle large amounts of fatty foods like steak and cheese.
When male and female mice were given the same amount of high-fat food in a 2014 studyFemales were better able to defend themselves from harmful effects, according to Deborah Clegg, a clinical dietitian at the Cedars-Sinai Research Institute, who led the study.
The brains of the male mice developed signs of inflammation in the brain, while the females did not.
A similar answer It has been shown in laboratory studies to occur. in humans on chronic high-fat diets.
In Clegg’s study, the brains of female mice were not affected at all by increased fat intake.
“It’s as if women’s brains have a chemical force field that prevents the dangers of fats and sugars from harming them,” she said.
Another 2018 study suggested that estrogen could have a protective effect on how the body processes fat.
Women could have developed this miracle trick to protect themselves during pregnancy, said study author Djurdjica Coss. Medical news today.
In other words, it may be an evolutionary mechanism that helps women safely gain weight during pregnancy.
MEN GET GOOD FROM DARK CHOCOLATE
The cardiovascular benefits of dark chocolate have been shown mainly in men
Studies have not linked many health benefits to milk chocolate.
However, dark chocolate, which has less sugar and is believed to contain disease-fighting antioxidants, has been linked to a number of benefits. Although the strongest effect is observed in men.
Researchers say the polyphenols in dark chocolate may help the body produce more nitric oxide, a compound that causes blood vessels to dilate and blood to flow more easily.
Researchers of University of Aberdeen They determined this by measuring the participants’ blood before and after eating dark chocolate (containing at least 70 percent cocoa). They found fewer clumps in the men’s blood.
Blood pooling can be a major contributor to a host of heart problems, from myocardial infarction to stroke.
It’s still unclear why men were more likely than women to get the blood benefits of dark chocolate, said study author Baukje de Roos.
‘It’s a bit of a mystery why this happens. It may have to do with hormones, but it’s something we’re still trying to understand.
PASTA COULD GIVE SOME WOMEN A SLEEPLESS NIGHT
Refined Carbs May Increase Insomnia Risk in Older Women
Although you need carbohydrates in your diet (bread, pasta or produce), consuming a diet too rich in these products can have an effect on your health.
Specifically, research has delved into the effects of consuming high-carbohydrate diets on women who have gone through menopause.
By studying 50,000 participants, researchers from Columbia University Medical Center She found that processed foods increased the likelihood of women developing insomnia.
“Whole fruits contain sugar, but the fiber they contain slows the rate of absorption to help prevent blood sugar spikes,” explained James Gangwisc, one of the authors of the study, in a university press release.
“This suggests that the dietary culprit triggering the women’s insomnia was highly processed foods that contain large amounts of refined sugars that are not found naturally in foods,” she said.