{
  "id": 3720567,
  "title": "Spanish Nutrition Agency to review menopause report after male-only research concerns",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/spanish-nutrition-agency-to-review-menopause-report-after-male-only",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-27T10:28:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Spain in English",
    "slug": "spain-in-english",
    "url": "https://www.spainenglish.com/2026/08/27/spanish-nutrition-agency-to-review-menopause-report-after-male-only-research-concerns/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Spain's food safety and nutrition agency, AESAN, has ordered a review of an official report on women's nutritional needs during and after the menopause due to concerns that some recommendations rely on research conducted exclusively on men. The Spanish Association of Women Researchers and Technologists (AMIT) raised objections to the evidence used to support certain recommendations, particularly those related to iron and vitamin C. AESAN acknowledged that the review was prompted by the criticism over the use of data from exclusively male populations and the omission of a warning explaining the origins of some data. The report, published in March, derived its recommendations from European research, specifically the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which clearly indicates when evidence comes from studies involving men and when those findings have been extrapolated to women. However, AESAN's report failed to make this distinction clear to readers. This issue highlights a longstanding problem in medical and nutritional research, where women have historically been underrepresented in scientific studies and clinical trials, leading to insufficient sex-specific evidence. As a result, findings from male populations have sometimes been used to inform recommendations for women, despite potential biological differences affecting disease, symptoms, nutritional requirements, and responses to medications. A researcher from the Institute of Food Science, Technology, and Nutrition (ICTAN-CSIC) and member of AMIT explained that she had previously tried to get AESAN to correct the report privately in March, but received no response. AESAN's decision to review the report after the controversy gained media attention is a step in the right direction, according to the researcher, who emphasized the importance of explicitly stating limitations when presenting findings without female-specific evidence. The controversy has also drawn attention to the broader issue of gender inequality in medical research, where male bodies have often been used as the default reference point for research on menopause and other conditions affecting women. This has led to potentially misleading health advice and discouraged further research into women's health. Spain's Equality Minister, Ana Redondo, has called for the document to be reviewed and urged authorities to ensure similar issues do not arise in the future.",
  "summary": "Spain’s food safety and nutrition agency has ordered a review of an official report on the nutritional needs of women during and after the menopause following criticism that some of its recommendations rely on research conducted exclusively on men. The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has asked... The post Spanish Nutrition Agency to review menopause report after male-only…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}