menopause and weight gain

Menopauseand Weight Gain

Index

PageAbout Weight Gain 2Risks of Weight Gain 4Hormonal Causes 6Estrogen

6Progesterone 7Androgen

7Testosterone 8Insulin Resistance 8Age and Weight Gain 9Lifestyle and Weight Gain 10Treatments for Weight Gain 11Lifestyle Changes 12Alternative Medicine 12Medications and Surgery 16References

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Menopause and Weight Gain

About Weight GainAs women approach menopause they endure many symptoms, but one of the hardest is menopausal weight gain. A few extra pounds (or maybe more) effects a woman's self-esteem and self-image. This weight gain can lead to health concerns that put a woman at risk of developing life-threatening conditions.

Weight gain takes place when an individual increases her body mass, whether as a result of fat deposits, additional muscle tissue or excess fluid. However, weight gain associated with menopause typically involves increased amounts of fat around the abdomen.


On average, women gain between 12 and 15 pounds between the ages of 45 and 55, the stage in life when menopause typically occurs.

About 90% of menopausal women experience some amount of weight gain.

This extra weight generally does not evenly distribute itself throughout a woman's body.

The weight tends instead to accumulate around the abdomen and women often notice the shape of their bodies slowly lose their hour-glass figure and begin to take on a rounded shape.


Risks of Weight GainWeight gain during menopause means more than just aesthetic concerns and can lead to very serious health conditions.

Several diseases and other conditions can arise as a result of a body burdened with excess pounds.


Risks of Weight Gain

• Heart disease, stroke• High blood pressure• Osteoarthritis• Breast cancer• High cholesterol• Kidney disease• Sleep apnea• Insulin resistance (increasing diabetes risks)• More severe menopausal symptoms


Hormonal Causes of Weight Gain

A woman's hormones have complex functions in her body, including weight control. These are:

EstrogenAs a woman's ovaries produce less estrogen, her body attempts to find the hormone in places other than the ovaries. Fat cells can produce estrogen, so her body works harder to convert calories into fat to increase estrogen levels. Unfortunately, fat cells don't burn calories the way muscle cells do, which causes weight gain.


ProgesteroneWater retention is often linked to menopause because water weight and bloating decreases progesterone levels. Though this doesn't actually result in weight gain, clothes can feel a bit tighter and a woman may feel as though she's heavier.

AndrogenThe amount of this hormone increases at the onset of menopause. It's responsible for sending new weight to the mid-section instead of to the hips, which many women are accustomed to.


TestosteroneTestosterone helps a woman's body create lean muscle mass out of the calories consumed. Muscle cells burn more calories than fat cells do, increasing metabolic rate. As testosterone levels drop, fewer calories are transformed into lean muscle mass and a woman's metabolism winds down.

Insulin ResistanceInsulin resistance can occur during the menopausal years. This is when a woman's body mistakenly turns every calorie taken in into fat. Over time, processed and refined foods may make a woman's body resistant to insulin produced in the blood stream.


Age and Weight GainBeginning at about age 30, an individual's physical abilities begin to decrease and continue deteriorating until about age 60 or 70. The body's abilities then level off and decline at a slower rate. The rate of decline depends largely on an individual's physical activity and particular lifestyle.

This decreasing physical ability affects weight because a person becomes less able to engage in physical activities that help to maintain a stable weight by burning calories. To compound the potential for weight gain with age, the metabolic rate begins to slow after age 30 which also leads to weight gain.


Lifestyle and Weight GainEven though physical changes are an unavoidable part of getting older that leads to weight gain, a woman's lifestyle is also a hugely important variable. Lifestyle factors that can lead to weight gain are:

• Stress• Reduced physical activity• Change in eating habit• Medication use• Drinking excess amounts of alcohol• Quitting smoking


Treatments for Weight GainTypically, combining lifestyle changes and alternative medicines will produce the best results.

When seeking out alternative medicines, keep in mind that because weight gain during menopause is associated with hormonal imbalance, look for herbal supplements that bring a natural balance to hormonal levels, for this will go a long way to grappling with weight gain at the core of the issue.


Lifestyle ChangesThis primary level of treatment for weight gain involves the least amount of risk, though conversely it requires the highest amount of self-discipline. Simple changes in lifestyle can reap huge benefits in fighting weight gain and achieving a higher overall level of health.

Fundamentally, regular exercise and an improved diet, can do a woman great service in limiting weight gain. Because weight gain during menopause is connected to diminishing levels of hormones, some changes in diet can help stimulate hormonal production.


Studies have shown that diets rich in foods that promote estrogen levels (such as soy, apples, alfalfa, cherries, potatoes, rice, wheat, and yams) go a long way in helping regulate menopausal symptoms.

Simple Lifestyle Changes for Weight Gain:

• Avoid caffeine/alcohol• Sleep 7-8 hours per night• Intake vitamins B,C,D, and E• Practice breathing exercises• Eat a balanced diet of moderate portions• Exercise regularly• Stay hydrated


Alternative Medicine In the case of herbal supplements, there are two types of herbs that can be used for treating weight gain: phytoestrogenic and hormone-regulating herbs. Phytoestrogenic herbs (e.g. black cohosh) contain estrogenic components produced by plants.

These herbs, at first, do treat the hormonal imbalance by introducing these plant-based estrogens into the body. However, as a result of adding outside hormones, a woman´s body may become less capable of producing estrogen on its own. This causes a further decrease of the body's own hormone levels and can lead to continued weight gain.


Alternatively hormone-regulating herbs don't contain any estrogen. These herbs stimulate a woman's hormone production by nourishing the pituitary and endocrine glands, causing them to more efficiently produce natural hormones.

This ultimately results in balancing not only estrogen, but also progesterone and testosterone. Hormone-regulating herbal supplements (e.g. Macafem) can be considered the safest way to treat weight gain naturally as the body creates its own hormones and doesn't require any outside assistance.


Medications and Surgery Interventions for weight gain at the third level involve the highest risk and often the highest costs and side effects.

The most common drug therapy for treating the weight gain in the United States is hormone replacement therapy (HRT). This may be a quick and strong way to combat hormonal imbalance; unfortunately, it entails serious side effects and increases the risk of different types of cancer among women.

There are medications that claim to cure weight gain and there are even more drastic surgical options like liposuction. For these options it is wise to speak to a healthcare professional for guidance.


References

• Hutchinson, Susan M.D. "The Stages of a Woman's Life: Menstruation, Pregnancy, Nursing, Perimenopause, Menopause". November 2007.

• Love, Susan M.D. Menopause and Hormone Book. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2003.

• BMJ Group. "Menopause: What is it?" Patient Leaflet. 2007

menopause and weight gain

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