Emotional and Metabolic Health Support for Women

Emotional and Metabolic Health Support for Women

There is a lot of interest in people’s metabolic health these days. It is essential to understand how healthy glucose and lipid metabolism, along with healthy weight management may impact your cardiometabolic and manage your overall health. In this blog we will take a look at women’s emotional and metabolic health and try to answer some questions that many women have, as well as look at ways to support their overall health.

Connections
Imagine a room filled with giggling girls with emotions all over the place. That pretty much sums up most young girls and perhaps many of us women who are in the company of good friends. You know that group of gals that you kind of travel life’s roads with. When I was five and just starting out on life’s journey, I met the friends that would be with me my entire life. Obviously, I didn’t know that then, but sincerely these ladies are like my sisters. Though we still laugh about our teenage heartthrobs, our focus over the past few years has turned to women’s issues like our emotional and metabolic health.

So, cheers to your old and new friends, trusted colleagues or good ol’ neighbors who are like sisters to you. Connections are meant to lift us up and move us through life with a little more joy!

Navigating Naturally
Moving though life’s stages certainly brings a kaleidoscope of change. Our physical and emotional health all go through various stages of change as we age. Some of us may navigate things a little easier than others, but that doesn’t mean we have perfect days. We all require some coaching and support. 

As women, we need to focus on a lot! Taking the time to be mindful of our own health needs may help us better navigate our metabolic health. We need to assess our current routine (physical, emotional, nutritional) and make necessary changes to ensure the very best health outcomes. How we manage our intake, physical activity and stress are all factors that affect our metabolic health. Focusing on achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is important to ensure it has a positive impact on our glucose and lipid metabolism.

Do you know which factors can make or break your metabolic health? Let’s find out below.

Hormones - Our Body's Messengers
Life stage changes like menopausal hormonal changes, can be key influences on our metabolic health. Hormones are our internal calls to action. They are nature’s way of giving us cues to the next bodily function, emotion or feeling and certainly impact how we feel. Understanding how these hormones function can help us to understand the effects of stress and other variables on our overall wellness. 

One of the hormones that may come to mind is cortisol. Cortisol, mainly produced by our adrenal glands, is released in response to stress. It also helps you to regulate your sleep. As you can see, cortisol is important, but over the long haul, if it’s not controlled, it can lead to more serious health concerns and may impact your metabolic health. 

Stress management is important to maintain a healthy cortisol response. In managing your cortisol levels, you may be supporting restful sleep, cognitive function and also positive mood during times of occasional stress. These things are invaluable in promoting a healthy metabolism and, by extension, a healthy you!‡ 

Nutrients that support a positive mood and help moderate occasional stress can be found in our Mood Balance Daily Pure Pack. This convenient pack includes our SeroPlus formula, which supports serotonin production to promote a positive mood, moderate occasional stress and maintain healthy eating behavior. Also, it contains our Emotional Wellness‡ formula, which helps support emotional and mental well-being and moderate occasional stress.‡

Taking a step back from that occasional stress is helpful, rather than letting it escalate. Though this is easier said than done, especially when you may not be able to change the situation. But being able to identify and manage your stress is healthy in both the interim and long term, and sometimes often requires support. 

To keep your cortisol levels at bay is important, but how can you accomplish this and support a healthy stress response? 

Well, our Cortisol Calm which contains both Rhodiola and magnolia, has shown to maintain healthy cortisol activity and offer support for occasional stress, mood and emotional well-being.1‡

Also a recent study, showed that Sensoril® an ashwagandha extract, supports not only positive mood, but also healthy stress responses.

Meet the New "B"-Inositol 
One of the “newer” kids on the nutrient block that may support healthy mood is inositol, which is part of the B-Complex family. ‡

Research suggests that myo-inositol (the main form of inositol), found in the central nervous system, supports important messengers in your body like serotonin and norepinephrine.2 What this tells us is that inositol may not only support healthy mood, but also optimal levels may support emotional wellness and behavior and help lessen occasional nervous tension.3 To support women’s ovarian health, research suggests that myo-inositol may also help to support healthy ovulatory activity, ovarian function and reproductive system function.4,5‡

Pretty impressive, huh? Well, there is another form of inositol. It is D-chiro inositol and this form found in the right ratios can be found in our Inositol-Complex .

  • Inositol-Complex contains 150 mg of D-chiro inositol per capsule, thereby offering the clinically researched 3.6:1 ratio myoinositol to D-chiro inositol.
  • This form of inositol in the body assists with the balancing of hormones like androgens and luteinizing hormone/follicle stimulating hormone (LH/FSH). ‡
  • These forms also act as second messengers to support healthy insulin signaling, however, D-chiro inositol also helps promote the cellular response to insulin.6‡

Though there isn’t a perfect solution, landing on managing stress seems to be an important way to manage cortisol, especially since it is one of those hormones that may impact your metabolic health and glucose metabolism.

CARDIOMETABOLIC HEALTH

Healthy Glucose Metabolism
Changes in a woman’s life affects her metabolic health as seen through her childbearing years and well into menopause. This transition to menopause brings about numerous changes including a decrease in estrogen levels but also changes in weight management, which may impact both glucose metabolism and cardiovascular health. To manage the other challenges that menopause presents, you can discuss the following supplement options to support your health with your healthcare provider.‡ 

MenoVive for menopausal comfort, promotes breast, uterine, cervical and cognitive health. It also supports relaxation during times of occasional stress, while supporting a healthy estrogen-to-progesterone ratio.‡

Additionally, factors like familial history, exercise and optimal nutrition, there are a variety of minerals that are associated with healthy glucose metabolism including chromium, magnesium and zinc and may be synergistic with biotin. 7,8,9,10‡ 

Vanadium is another important mineral found in GlucoFunction that promotes healthy glucose metabolism by supporting healthy liver and skeletal muscle function.11 This dietary supplement also contains the water-soluble polyphenol polymers found in CinSulin® cinnamon extract to promote healthy glucose function, lipid metabolism and blood flow.12,13‡

Also, Momordica charantia, or bitter melon, and Gymnema sylvestre provide traditional support for healthy pancreas and glucose function.14,15 Additionally, alpha lipoic acid supports healthy glucose metabolism by promoting healthy mitochondrial function.16,17‡

Having a conversation with your healthcare provider about your metabolic health should also include ways to support healthy glucose metabolism. 

The dietary supplement MetabolicXtra provides a combination of nutrients to support healthy glucose metabolism and insulin receptor function and signaling. The natural plant alkaloid, berberine enhances the expression and function of insulin receptors.18,19 In fact, in a study involving 116 subjects, berberine provided statistically significant support for healthy glucose and lipid metabolism.20‡

Healthy Weight Management
Maintaining a healthy body weight throughout your life is an important factor in your metabolic health. A healthy dietary intake and at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week can help to optimize energy balance.21 The importance of adequate and quality sleep is also a key factor in promoting healthy weight.

Promoting emotional well-being to support healthy food behaviors, including moderating thoughts about food and occasional cravings help to support healthy weight management.‡ 

PureLean® Satiety targets appetite to moderate caloric intake and support healthy weight management.†‡ For example, PureLean® Satiety offers clinically researched DNF-10®, a protein hydrolysate, to moderate caloric intake and promote satiety. It also contains Sensoril® ashwagandha, to promote relaxation and emotional well-being along with chromium to support healthy glucose metabolism. The herb ashwagandha has been used traditionally to strengthen the body’s resistance to stress and fatigue, common triggers for undesirable eating behaviors.

Clinical studies indicate that DNF-10 lowers the secretion of the “hunger hormone”, ghrelin between meals and neuropeptide Y in the hypothalamus to promote satiety. In four double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies involving healthy, overweight subjects, DNF-10 promoted a significant decrease in caloric intake, weight circumference, abdominal fat and body weight.22-25 Another study reported significant reductions in total abdominal fat, subcutaneous abdominal fat and abdominal circumference. ‡

Healthy Lipid Metabolism

Research indicates that focusing on the Mediterranean way of eating and a low-fat intake of dietary fat can support your heart health.26 And sometimes, your diet and exercise may need a boost to support healthy blood lipid metabolism and function. Since highly-researched phytosterols may support healthy lipid metabolism, you may want to talk to your healthcare provider about CholestePure.‡ Here’s why: 

  • Phytosterols are sterol molecules, similar in structure to cholesterol, which are synthesized by plants and are present naturally in grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetable oils.
  • In studies, phytosterols have demonstrated the ability to maintain healthy enzyme function, thus supporting healthy lipid metabolism.27‡

Body, Food, Mood
As you can see it is important to realize that there are many variables that may affect a person’s weight management, glucose, lipid and cardiometabolic health. Managing stress, getting enough rest and finding ways to become more active is crucial to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. In addition, eating healthy in conjunction with the healthy behaviors above may help support you on your health journey. 

Let’s not forget surrounding yourself daily with good friends, family and good thoughts. May your heart be light, and your days filled with much laughter! You know, giggling like a little girl again can be quite fun and may positively contribute to your metabolic health.

With great intentions-Purely for you!

    1. Maslova LV, et al. Eksp Klin Farmakol. 1994 Nov-Dec;57(6):61-3.
    2. Lucas CT, Call FL 2nd, Williams WJ. J Clin Invest. 1970 Oct;49(10):1949-55.
    3. Gambioli R, et al. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2021 Jan;25(1):438-446.
    4. Gerli S, et al. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2007 Dec;23(12):700-3.
    5. Papaleo E, et al. Fertil Steril. 2009 May;91(5):1750-4.
    6. Monastra G, et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2021 Apr 6;12:660381.
    7. Sharma S, et al. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2011 Jul;25(3):149-53.
    8. Rodríguez-Morán M, et al. Diabetes Care. 2003 Apr;26(4):1147-52.
    9. Al-Maroof RA, et al. Saudi Med J. 2006 Mar;27(3):344-50.
    10. Singer GM, et al. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2006 Dec;8(6):636-43.
    11. Cusi K, et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001 Mar;86(3):1410-7.
    12. Khan A, et al. Diabetes Care December 2003. 26(12); 3215-3218.
    13. Wainstein J, et al. J Med Food. 2011 Dec;14(12):1505-10.
    14. Dans AM, et al. J Clin Epidemiol. 2007 Jun;60(6):554-9.
    15. Baskaran K, et al. J Ethnopharmacol. 1990 Oct;30(3):295-300.
    16. Ansar H, et al. Saudi Med J. 2011 Jun;32(6):584- 8.
    17. Wang Y, et al. Metabolism. 2010 Jul;59(7):967- 76.
    18. Zhang H, et al. Metabolism. 2010 Feb;59(2):285-92. 2.
    19. Yan-xia N, et al. Chin J Integr Med. 1995; 1(2); 91-95.
    20. Zhang Y, et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Jul;93(7):2559-65.
    21. US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025. 9th December 2020.
    22. Jung EY, et al. Prev Nutr Food Sci. 2017 Mar; 22(1): 45–49.
    23. Jung EY, et al. Nutrition. 2014 Jan;30(1):25-32.
    24. Jung EY, et al. Jour of Food Biochem. 2011 Apr; 35(2): 337-350.
    25. Jung EY, et al. Prev Nutr Food Sci. 2009; 14(2):123-128.
    26. Mediterranean diet for heart health - Mayo Clinic
    27. Lau VW, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jun;81(6):1351-8.
Back to blog