Nutrition for women and nutrition for men: this is why they are not the same
Nutrition for women and nutrition for men: this is why they are not the same
As medicine progresses and develops, the recognition grows that the difference between men and women requires a different approach to health and nutrition for the two sexes and is much more adapted than is commonly thought.
Women suffer four times more than men from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), which is mainly characterized by sensations in the lower abdomen. Men, on the other hand, suffer more from heartburn and reflux.
Osteoporosis (calcium leakage) is more common in women and therefore requires special dietary consideration for calcium absorption and appropriate nutritional supplements. Women also suffer more from diseases related to the immune system, such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis (twice), lupus (lupus), and damage to the thyroid gland - eight times more common than men.
The incidence of cardiovascular diseases is the same in women and men but appears in men about a decade earlier. On the other hand, the events of heart and blood vessel diseases appear in women in a severe and even more dangerous way than in men.
Women are more sensitive to alcohol and get drunk faster than men, and this is not only because of their relatively low weight (or because they "don't know how to drink...") The main reason for this is that they have lower levels of the enzymes responsible for breaking down alcohol in the stomach and liver.
Male obesity, known as "apple obesity", is characterized by concentrated fat in the upper abdominal area. In female obesity, "pear obesity", most of the fat is concentrated in the thighs. Apple obesity is considered more dangerous: it encourages the development of cardiovascular diseases, as well as an increase in the development of diabetes, blood pressure, and blood lipids. Pear obesity is not considered dangerous, but it is more difficult to treat, and weight loss is slower.
The fat percentage of women is higher, and here the "satiety hormone" leptin plays a role, which is associated with obesity among women. Leptin is a hormone secreted from the fat tissue, reaches the brain, and regulates food intake, appetite, and metabolism in the body. The larger the adipose tissue, the more leptin is secreted, but in fact, the higher the percentage of fat, the lower the sensitivity to leptin, which encourages increased appetite and causes weight gain.
It recently became clear that nutritional supplements work differently on the two sexes: in women, unlike men, no beneficial effect of fibre consumption on lowering blood lipid levels was found. It was also found that while the antioxidants in nutritional supplements affect reducing the risk of disease in men, such an effect was not found in girls of the opposite sex.
Substantial differences were also found between women and men in nutritional preferences. Studies show that men will prefer meat products while women are attracted to food products high in carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, potatoes, and especially sweet foods such as cakes and chocolate. The explanation for this points to a connection to the lower serotonin level in women, especially before menstruation in the menstrual cycle, when the serotonin levels drop, and the body signals a need for carbohydrates.
