No HRT, red meat or alcohol: How to beat the menopause, according to actress Julie Walters

  • Julie Walters has passed on her tips for coping with the menopause
  • She says women should avoid HRT, red meat and not drink alcohol 
  • The film actress said healthy living and dietary changes were key

Julie Walters has passed on her tips for coping with the effects ¿ telling women to avoid HRT and red meat and cut sugar and alcohol

Julie Walters has passed on her tips for coping with the effects – telling women to avoid HRT and red meat and cut sugar and alcohol

After a near ten-year battle with the menopause, she's borne the full brunt of night sweats and hot flushes.

Now Julie Walters has passed on her tips for coping with the effects – telling women to avoid HRT and red meat and cut sugar and alcohol.

The veteran TV and film actress said healthy living and dietary changes were key to combating the mid-life change.

She spoke out during an online discussion, advising others not to go through with hormone replacement therapy – despite recent advice that suggests the drug treatment is safer than feared.

Asked for her 'top tips' on the Mumsnet website, the 65-year-old wrote: 'Don't do HRT, cut sugar and alcohol right down. Red meat and too much carbohydrate make you sweat. Live as healthily as you can, if you can get through it healthily, you'll have so much more energy at the end of it.'

Miss Walters, whose long career in television and movies includes the Harry Potter movies and Calendar Girls, has previously spoken of her lengthy menopause ordeal.

She would sometimes endure as many as 15 hot flushes in a night which could be triggered by a range of factors from decaffeinated coffee to just thinking about an acting role.

In an unauthorised biography, she is quoted as saying: 'I don't like the idea of having HRT...' She said she used progest cream instead – an over-the-counter remedy that uses the hormone progesterone. The mother of one said while making the Harry Potter films she asked for air conditioning to be switched on to deal with her hot flushes.

Miss Walters, whose long career in television and movies includes the Harry Potter movies and Calendar Girls, has previously spoken of her lengthy menopause ordeal

Miss Walters, whose long career in television and movies includes the Harry Potter movies and Calendar Girls, has previously spoken of her lengthy menopause ordeal

And during filming for Billy Elliot she was 'too knackered' to memorise a short dance sequence. Speaking in 2013 about the change coming to an end, she said: 'It's liberating... it's a huge relief. I've got so much more energy now than I ever had in my early 50s before the menopause.'

On last night's Graham Norton Show, she also admitted she finds it harder to remember her lines.

She said: 'I have to commit everything to my long-term memory. I used to be able learn everything the night before but now if any changes come up I panic. It's scary.' Women have faced years of conflicting advice about HRT following fears of serious side-effects.

But research presented to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine last month suggested the risks of the treatment have been overstated.

n an unauthorised biography, she is quoted as saying: 'I don't like the idea of having HRT...' She said she used progest cream instead ¿ an over-the-counter remedy that uses the hormone progesterone

n an unauthorised biography, she is quoted as saying: 'I don't like the idea of having HRT...' She said she used progest cream instead – an over-the-counter remedy that uses the hormone progesterone

On last night's Graham Norton Show, she also admitted she finds it harder to remember her lines

On last night's Graham Norton Show, she also admitted she finds it harder to remember her lines

New York University scientists suggested that those who took HRT for up to 25 years were no more likely to develop serious health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease or breast cancer – even after a decade of follow-up checks.

Last night Dr Sarah Gray, a GP and women's health specialist, said Miss Walters' advice about healthy living was 'spot on'. However, she cautioned: 'Julie is entitled to give her advice but every woman is different.

'No one who is bothered by the symptoms of the menopause should be denied the opportunity to use HRT, which is much safer than previously thought.'

She added: 'The menopause is the perfect time to take stock and to see if you could improve your diet and do more exercise.

'Things like sugar – and particularly alcohol – are likely to make you sweat more.

'I wouldn't say you need to cut out any particular foods but do think carefully about what you are eating.

'It's sensible not to eat too much late in the day or before bed because it could make for an uncomfortable night's sleep.'

 

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