Does Menopause Cause Weight Gain?

There are many factors to this answer, but in short, yes, menopause—or more accurately, peri- and post-menopause—can cause us to put on weight and make it harder to lose. The reasons for this are multifactorial, and here are the main factors:

Fat Cells Produce Oestrogen

When our ovaries start to slow down production of oestrogen, we are left with two other main sources: our adrenal glands and fat cells. This is why we tend to store fat, particularly around the middle, as it produces oestrogen. However, this oestrogen is inflammatory in nature and not the type we need. The body is just pleased to have any production source, so it hangs on to the fat to keep the production going.

Sarcopenia (Decreased Muscle Mass)

As we age, and particularly post-menopause, we lose muscle mass. This can cause issues like muscle and joint pain, but it also means our metabolism slows down as muscles burn calories. Therefore, our basal metabolic rate—the number of calories we burn at rest—lowers, and we start to store the excess calories as fat.

Poor Sleep

One of the many symptoms of menopause is sleep disturbances, which could be due to hot flushes, anxiety, joint pain, or other reasons. When we sleep, we produce more leptin, our ‘full signal’ hormone, but if our sleep is disrupted, we produce more ghrelin, our ‘hunger’ hormone. As a result, we eat more during the day as we are hungrier and seek out high-calorie/sugary food to help with the fatigue from not sleeping well.

Insulin Resistance

Low estrogen levels can reduce the body's sensitivity to insulin (which helps balance our blood sugar levels), leading to cells becoming resistant. The pancreas, therefore, produces more and more insulin to manage blood sugar levels. High levels of insulin cause fat storage, particularly around the abdomen.

Stress and Emotional Eating

Perimenopause can be a challenging time, leading to increased stress levels. This may result in unhealthy coping strategies such as emotional eating and poor food choices. Chronic high levels of cortisol (our stress hormone) also promote fat storage, especially around the abdomen.

Lack of Activity

Various factors such as mental health issues, joint pain, and fatigue may make it challenging to stay active during peri- and post-menopause. The less we move, the fewer calories we burn, and our muscle mass also decreases, leading to weight gain.

How to Improve Weight Management at Menopause

Nutrition

The best diet at menopause has been shown to be the Mediterranean diet. This includes lots of colourful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, good sources of protein, and healthy fats. This helps manage hormone levels, and filling up on vegetables (fibre) and protein helps keep us fuller for longer. Avoid processed foods or sugar as they are high in calories and cause inflammation in the body.

Exercise

Include a wide range of exercise on a regular basis. Interval training has been shown to burn more calories (even after the exercise) than steady-state cardio. This could be a walk/jog or even a fast walk between two lamp posts and a slower pace for the next two. Resistance/strength training is also important to increase muscle mass and thus boost metabolism. This could include bodyweight exercises, resistance band work, or weights. It is important to find an exercise that is at the correct level for you and that you enjoy.

Sleep

Sleep is important, and having a good nighttime routine to help the body wind down can be very beneficial. Check out my other blog about sleep for more tips here.

Stress

Reducing our cortisol (stress hormone) helps to reduce fat storage, insulin resistance, and emotional eating. Check out my blog about stress here.

To round up, yes, menopause can cause weight gain, but it isn’t as simple as just reducing calories and doing more exercise to resolve it.

If you would like more support on your journey, check out my services on my website.