Menopause and weight gain

Maxwell Adeyemi

MANY WOMEN are quite shocked and frustrated when they begin to notice those extra pounds as they approach or reach menopause. They may be eating and exercising exactly the same as they always have, but still cannot seem to maintain their weight.

Hormones have a direct impact on appetite, metabolism and fat storage. This is why it is so difficult to control weight during menopause. Fluctuating oestrogen, testosterone and androgen levels do play significant roles.

Role of hormones in weight gain

Oestrogen

During menopause, oestrogen levels decline rapidly, causing ovulation to stop. As the ovaries produce less oestrogen, the body looks to other places for the oestrogen it needs. Fat cells in the body can produce oestrogen, so the body works harder to convert calories into fat to increase oestrogen levels. Unfortunately, fat cells do not burn calories the way muscle cells do, which causes unwanted kilos to pile up.

Progesterone

During menopause, progesterone levels will also decrease like oestrogen, and lower levels of progesterone can be responsible for many of the symptoms of menopause, including weight gain. Water retention and menopause often go hand in hand since water weight ration and bloating are caused by decreased progesterone levels.

Androgen

This hormone is responsible for sending your new weight directly to your mid-section. In fact, weight gain during menopausal years is often known as "middle-age spread" because of the rapid growth of the mid-section. Most often one of the first signs of menopause is an increased level of androgen in your body, which causes you to gain weight around your abdomen.

Testosterone

Testosterone helps your body create lean muscle mass out of the calories that you take in. Muscle cells burn more calories than fat cells, thereby increasing your metabolism. In menopause, levels of testosterone drop, resulting in the loss of muscle, which invariably means a lower metabolism rate, and the lower your metabolism the slower your body burns calories.

Insulin resistance

Insulin resistance occurs during the menopausal years. This is when your body turns every calorie you take into fat. Most women follow a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. After a while, processed and refined foods may make your body resistant to insulin produced in the bloodstream. This often causes weight gain after age 40.

Stress

This is also a contributing factor in weight gain in menopause. The stress factor has been linked to adrenal gland stress and fatigue, which in turn affect your ability to metabolise carbohydrate. When you cannot metabolise carbohydrates well, you become insulin-resistant, which is a pre-diabetic condition that causes weight gain and obesity.

Managing weight gain at menopause

It is inevitable to gain weight as you get older. The strategies for maintaining a healthy weight at any age remains the same: watch what you eat, and get moving. The most effective approach to reversing weight gain during menopause includes a combination of the following:

* Increased physical activities: aerobic exercises boost your metabolism and help you burn fat, while strength-training exercises increase muscle mass, boost your metabolism and strengthen your bones.

* Reduce calorie intake: pay attention to the food you eat and slightly reduce the amount of calories you consume each day.

* Decrease dietary fat: eating large amounts of high-fat food adds excess calories which can lead to weight gain and obesity.

* Reduce carbohydrates: to reduce weight, you need to cut down on carbohydrates. All highly processed carbohydrates should be removed from your diet (these include sugar, soft drinks, cakes, biscuits, pastries and white bread).

* Use of weight-loss medications: while the use of weight-loss medication is rapidly increasing in popularity, it is generally not a one-time, quick-fix solution. Some oral medications have been in existence for a number of years and lately some new injectable medications, as well oral medications that were originally developed for the treatment of diabetes, are now largely used to treat obesity.

However, even though these medications will help in weight loss, they are more effective with lifestyle changes like dietary adjustment and increased physical activities. It is therefore important to create a culture of self-discipline and self-efficacy in dietary habits, and physical activities in tackling overweight and obesity issues that may arise in menopause.

Contact Dr Maxwell on 3631807 or 7575411