A clinical study of the effect of Glycyrrhiza glabra plant and exercise on the quality of life of menopausal women
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22122/cdj.v3i2.155Keywords:
Glycyrrhiza Glabra, Exercise, Quality of Life, MenopauseAbstract
BACKGROUND: Most women experience significant changes during and after menopause which causes various complications of menopause and the changes in quality of their life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Glycyrrhiza glabra plant and exercise on quality of life (QOL) of menopausal women.
METHODS: This clinical experiment was performed in Arak, Iran. The study subjects consisted of 120 menopausal women. The participants were selected through convenience method and randomly divided into 4 groups of 30 subjects. Group 1 participants were administered 3 Glycyrrhiza glabra tablets daily. Group 2 participants had a regular exercise program. Group 3 participants were simultaneously administered Glycyrrhiza glabr tablets like group 1 and had an exercise program like group 2. Group 4 received no intervention. The participants’ QOL was investigated before and 1 month after the intervention using the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) Questionnaire. Data analysis was performed in SPSS software using Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis, and chi-square tests, and variance analysis.
RESULTS: No significant difference between the four groups in terms of vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual health, and QOL based on the Kruskal-Wallis test before the intervention. However, a significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual health and QOL after the intervention.
CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed the efficacy of Glycyrrhiza glabra and exercise programs in controlling the symptoms of menopause. It is recommended that postmenopausal women use exercise programs and Glycyrrhiza glabra to control menopausal symptoms.
References
Williams RE, Levine KB, Kalilani L, Lewis J, Clark RV. Menopause-specific questionnaire assessment in US population-based study shows negative impact on health-related quality of life. Maturitas 2009; 62(2): 153-9.
Asgari P, Zand S, Bahramnezhad F, Mahmoudi M. The effect of Glycyrriza glabra on quality of life in postmenopausal women. Complement Med J Fac Nurs Midwifery 2015; 2(5): 1146-54.
Asgari P, Bahramnezhad F, Mehrdad N, Asadi Noughabi AA, Hekmatpour D, Mahmoudi M. Depression, functionality and adaptability of elderly patients after open heart surgery off- or on-pump. Jundishapur Sci Med J 2015; 4(4): 30-4. [In Persian].
Menati L, Siahpoosh A, Tadayon M. A randomized double blind clinical trial of licorice on hot flash in post-menopausal women and comparison with hormone replacement therapy. Sci Med J 2010; 9(2): 157-67.
Forouhari S, Safari Rad M, Moattari M, Mohit M, Ghaem H. The effect of education on quality of life in menopausal women referring to Shiraz Motahhari clinic in 2004. J Birjand Univ Med Sci 2009; 16(1): 39-44.
Chapman JS, Jacoby V, Chen LM. Managing symptoms and maximizing quality of life after preventive interventions for cancer risk reduction. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol 2015; 27(1): 40-4.
Madureira MM, Bonfa E, Takayama L, Pereira RM. A 12-month randomized controlled trial of balance training in elderly women with osteoporosis: improvement of quality of life. Maturitas 2010; 66(2): 206-11.
Kumari M, Stafford M, Marmot M. The menopausal transition was associated in a prospective study with decreased health functioning in women who report menopausal symptoms. J Clin Epidemiol 2005; 58(7): 719-27.
Falahi A, Nadrian H, Mohammadi S, Baghiyani Moghadam M. Utilizing the PRECEDE Model to predict quality of life related factors in patients with Ulcer Peptic Disease in Sanandaj, Kurdistan, Iran. Payavard Salamat 2009; 3(1-2): 30-43. [In Persian].
Blumel JE, Castelo-Branco C, Cancelo MJ, Cordova AT, Binfa LE, Bonilla HG, et al. Relationship between psychological complaints and vasomotor symptoms during climacteric. Maturitas 2004; 49(3): 205-10.
Schneider M, Dunton GF, Cooper DM. Physical activity and physical self-concept among sedentary adolescent females; An intervention study. Psychol Sport Exerc 2008; 9(1): 1-14.
Karacam Z, Seker SE. Factors associated with menopausal symptoms and their relationship with the quality of life among Turkish women. Maturitas 2007; 58(1): 75-82.
Karlsson I, Berglin E, Larsson PA. Sense of coherence: quality of life before and after coronary artery bypass surgery--a longitudinal study. J Adv Nurs 2000; 31(6): 1383-92.
Berra K. The effect of lifestyle interventions on quality of life and patient satisfaction with health and health care. J Cardiovasc Nurs 2003; 18(4): 319-25.
Sierra B, Hidalgo LA, Chedraui PA. Measuring climacteric symptoms in an Ecuadorian population with the Greene Climacteric Scale. Maturitas 2005; 51(3): 236-45.
Yazdkhasti M, Keshavarz M, Merghati Khoei E, Hosseini AF. The Effect of Structured Educational Program by Support Group on Menopause Women's Quality of Life. Iran J Med Sci 2012; 11(8): 986-94. [In Persian].
Tartibian B, Sharabiyani S, Abbasi A. Effect of regular aerobic exercise on vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes) in postmenopausal women. J Babol Univ Med Sci 2009; 11(4): 36-41. [In Persian].
Arian S. The effect of educational program on menopausal women [Thesis]. Tehran, Iran: Tarbiat Modares University; 2001. [In Persian].
Nahidi F, Zare E, Mojab F, AllaviMajd H. The effect of Glycyrriza glabra on the number of night hot flashes postmenopausal women. Journal of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences 2010; 19(67): 21-5. [In Persian].
Hajirahimkhan A, Simmler C, Yuan Y, Anderson JR, Chen SN, Nikolic D, et al. Evaluation of estrogenic activity of licorice species in comparison with hops used in botanicals for menopausal symptoms. PLoS One 2013; 8(7): e67947.
Abdollahi F, Azadbakht M, Shabankhahi B, Rezaei Abhari F, Mosleminezhad M. Effect of Glycyrriza glabra on menopousal complications. J Mazandaran Univ Med Sci 2006; 16(56): 75-82. [In Persian].
Lee Y, Kim H. Relationships between menopausal symptoms, depression, and exercise in middle-aged women: a cross-sectional survey. Int J Nurs Stud 2008; 45(12): 1816-22.
Daley AJ, Stokes-Lampard HJ, Macarthur C. Exercise to reduce vasomotor and other menopausal symptoms: a review. Maturitas 2009; 63(3): 176-80.
Agil A, Abike F, Daskapan A, Alaca R, Tuzun H. Short-term exercise approaches on menopausal symptoms, psychological health, and quality of life in postmenopausal women. Obstet Gynecol Int 2010; 2010.
Sunsern R. Effects of exercise on stress in thai postmenopausal women. Health Care for Women International 2002; 23(8): 924-32.
Aiello EJ, Yasui Y, Tworoger SS, Ulrich CM, Irwin ML, Bowen D, et al. Effect of a yearlong, moderate-intensity exercise intervention on the occurrence and severity of menopause symptoms in postmenopausal women. Menopause 2004; 11(4): 382-8.
