Menopause And Weight Gain
Speaking with most women over 50 you will quickly find that menopause and putting on weight are connected in their encounter. It is very typical to put on fat at this time even though some of this can be due to change in lifestyle, that does not explain why suddenly we create a propensity to put on pounds at different areas of the body, particularly the belly, whilst any weight gained whenever we were a young adult were rather centered on the hips.
The truth is that hormonal changes do have a part to play in this, although the process is not completely understood. At menopause a woman stops ovulating, her monthly menstruation periods end, and her body produces much lower levels of the female hormone estrogen which is responsible for the ovulation process. Low estrogen has been shown to cause weight gain in animals and it almost certainly is the reason why our bodies change shape. While women of childbearing age store fat in the lower body, after the menopause they store it on the abdomen instead, like men. This leads to a greater risk of heart disease.
At the same time, both men and women tend to find muscle turning to fat as they grow older, and the metabolism slows down. This means that if you do not adjust your eating habits you will probably find that your weight increases. A person of 60 just does not need as many calories as a person of 40.
Endocrine treatment with oestrogen may also be recommended to manage menopausal symptoms. Many women is going to be amazed to listen to that studies have shown that hormone therapy doesn’t trigger weight gain. Some women experience bloating and water retention in early stages of endocrine treatment but this is usually temporary and they have not acquired any body fat. Hormone treatment can help to eliminate the chance of cardiovascular disease by stopping the changes in storage of body fat around the belly and cholesterol-reducing. However, endocrine treatment has been associated with a heightened risk of breast cancer in some research.
If you find that you’re gaining weight around the menopause, there are many steps you can take.
- Eat a wholesome, low-fat diet with plenty fiber, staying away from sugars.
- Take regular exercise. As people grow older their physical activity amounts normally decrease. Function often becomes less physically demanding, there are no kids to operate around after, we consider much less energetic vacations and do things more slowly. Half an hour of moderate physical activity every single day will help to balance the effect of this.
- Maintain your muscle strength and mass. Use weights for arm muscles and walking or cycling for legs.
- Take the alterations towards the form of your body. If you are not overweight, but merely have a thicker waistline and slimmer thighs, that is good.
Talk to your physician before starting any workout program if you have any health conditions or your health and fitness amounts are reduced. Your physician can also help with symptoms of the menopause and putting on weight.