on PinterestResearch indicates that age-related weight gain may begin around before menopause. Image Credit: ljubaphoto/Getty ImagesWeight gain is a common experience during menopause.
on PinterestResearch indicates that age-related weight gain may begin around before menopause. Image Credit: ljubaphoto/Getty Images
- Weight gain is a common experience during menopause.
- Research indicates that midlife weight gain may actually begin earlier than previously thought.
- Experts suggest some diet and lifestyle tips to help prevent age-related weight gain.
Menopause describes a life transition when menstrual periods have stopped for 12 consecutive months, and pregnancy is no longer possible. It is a natural part of the aging process.
The average age of menopause onset in the United States is 52, but this can vary widely.
The time leading up to menopause is called perimenopause or the menopause transition, which typically occurs during your mid- to late-40s.
Along with symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, joint and muscle discomfort, and mood changes, menopause-related shifts may change how the body uses energy. The distribution of fat throughout the body can also shift, potentially leading to weight gain.
Many people experience weight gain during menopause; however, new research suggests that weight gain could begin earlier than previously thought.
A review of studies suggests that the menopause-related metabolic shift, which contributes to weight gain, may begin during perimenopause, or sooner. The findings were recently published in the Journal of Mid-Life Health.
“Weight changes are not only characteristic of midlife or menopause. Data have shown that weight gain starts early in adulthood,” Daniela Hurtado Andrade, MD, PhD, an endocrinologist and obesity expert at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL, explained in a news release. Andrade wasn’t involved in the study.
“Around age 30, your muscle mass starts decreasing gradually as part of the natural aging process, and this is exacerbated in midlife due to menopause,” Andrade continued.
Here’s what you need to know about age-related weight gain before menopause, and what you can do to help prevent it.
Hormonal, physiological shifts before menopause
On average, individuals experience perimenopause for four years before their period stops completely, but this phase can last anywhere from two to eight years.
During perimenopause, estrogen and progesterone begin to fluctuate unpredictably. These hormone shifts can affect nearly every metabolic system in the body. The metabolic system is the network of chemical reactions that convert food into energy.
The new review notes that estrogen plays a role in controlling fat distribution, muscle repair, and insulin sensitivity.
When these levels fluctuate significantly, the body changes how it stores fat, redistributing it from the hips and thighs to the abdomen.
“It is well known that metabolism starts to slow down as we age. The frustrating effects on the body include weight gain, along with a loss of muscle and energy,” said Sherry Ross, MD, board certified OB-GYN and Women’s Health Expert at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, who wasn’t involved in the research.
“These untimely and normal aging effects accelerate as estrogen levels fluctuate in perimenopause,” Ross told Healthline. “Estrogen has a significant influence on metabolism, affecting the body’s ability to properly regulate insulin production, glucose metabolism, and fat distribution.”
Muscle protein synthesis can also slow down during perimenopause.
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