The Correlation Between Menopause And Increased Body Weight

The correlation between menopause and increased body weight continues to be studied.

Many women report experiencing weight gain around the time of menopause and in the years after. The average age of menopause is 55, and life expectancy for women is 80 years. It is true that hormonal changes, such as the loss of estrogen associated with menopause, have been linked to an increased risk for osteoporosis, heart disease, poorer muscle tone, and deterioration in vision and brain function.

When taking a closer look at the issue of weight gain, however, lifestyle habits, rather than menopause itself, may play the biggest role.

The human bodies constantly use calories, both when you are active and when you are at rest. A significant number of calories are needed to help regenerate bone and muscle tissue, and therefore, the more muscle and bone you have, the speedier your metabolism is. The No. 1 way to help maintain or increase muscle and bone tissue is physical activity, primarily resistance (strength) training. Regular exercise, with proper intensity, frequency and duration, combined with a reasonably healthy and well-balanced diet, make it much less likely that you will put on pounds and inches as you age. So forget fad or crash diets when trying to slim down. When researchers compared those who lost weight through dieting alone and those who lost it through exercise, they found that the exercisers consistently lost more belly fat than the dieters. Shedding just 10 percent of body weight also lowers blood pressure and improves lipid profiles (cholesterol).