Brain Changes During Menstruation

450. If you menstruate, that’s about how many periods you’ll have in a lifetime. Yet even though half the world’s population is menstruating for half their lives, we have very little research on what the hormonal effects actually are, especially in relation to the brain and mental health.

That’s why this new study is so remarkable. This study is not yet peer-reviewed but available preprint.

Neuroscientists tracked 30 women over the course of their menstrual cycles with MRI brain scans and hormone tests – and found brainwide structural changes that correlated with hormone fluctuations.

For example:

• Just before ovulation (when estrogen is high), brains showed changes that indicated faster information transfer.
• The rise of FSH before ovulation was associated with thicker gray matter.
• Progesterone after ovulation correlated with decreased cerebrospinal fluid volume.

What does all this mean?

It means the hormone changes throughout the menstrual cycle influence MORE than just the ovaries and uterus. The more we learn about these hormone-brain connections, the better we can make sense of the domino effect of female hormone balance.

Prescription Drugs

Prescription drug use in the U.S. is at an all-time high.

A new study out of Penn State shows that Americans can expect to take prescription drugs for about half their lives – a little more for women and a little less for men.

Does that bother you? Some of the medications that are being prescribed more than ever include blood pressure medications, cholesterol-lowering medications, and antidepressants.

For example: A girl born in the U.S. in 1996 could expect to take antidepressants for 5.55 years of her life. By 2019, that number jumped to 12.52 years. This is just one of the many sobering statistics from the study.

Medications can be beneficial, but there are often less invasive and more effective ways to support health, and many of the most commonly prescribed meds treat conditions that respond dramatically to lifestyle.

Prevention is truly the best medicine – starting with food, water, movement, and rest.

Four Food Additives Banned in California

A new law in California that bans four common food additives will go into effect at the beginning of 2027. That may seem far off, but here’s what we can all take away from this right now:

• The banned additives are Red Dye No. 3 (in candy canes and other candies), Brominated Vegetable Oil (a flavor stabilizer in sodas), Potassium Bromate (a leavening agent), and Propylparaben (a preservative).
• The additives are banned because of research raising concerns about cancer, reproductive issues, and neurobehavioral problems, particularly in children.
• These additives are already banned in the European Union and many other countries.

There was one other additive initially on the list: titanium dioxide. That one is banned in the E.U. because of concerns that it can damage DNA.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting vs. calorie restriction: Which works better?

A new study compared them in a group of 75 people with type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Here are the highlights:

• Participants were randomly assigned to intermittent fasting (freely eating between noon and 8pm daily) or caloric restriction (25% calorie reduction).
• After 6 months, those doing intermittent fasting had lost twice as much weight on average (-3.56% vs. -1.78%).
• Both groups experienced similar improvements in average blood sugar levels (measured by HbA1C).

Caloric restriction is the norm in diet culture, but it’s hard to follow (this study also showed better adherence to intermittent fasting than calorie restriction), and a LOT more goes into healthy eating and weight loss than just calorie counting.

Intermittent fasting is not for everyone but could be helpful to those who struggle with weight loss and have not had success with other methods.