Breaking the menopause myth: how to avoid unwanted weight gain

Many women think weight gain is inevitable at this time unless they follow a strict diet and exercise vigorously and obsessively. But is this true? Let’s have a look at the evidence.

A study from Monash University Australia compared women who go through an early or late menopause to those who go through menopause normally. They found in all women the weight gain occurred at the same age, showing menopause itself was not the cause.

If menopause hormonal changes caused you to put on weight, you would expect those experiencing early menopause to put on weight much earlier in their lives than those with a late menopause. That didn’t happen.

Professor Davis, Director of the Women’s Health Group at Monash, said that the idea menopause causes women to gain weight was A MYTH.

Professor Davis went on to say:

“It is really just a consequence of environmental factors and ageing which cause the weight gain.”

A study  by Hanna-Kaarina Juppi published in the journal Aging Cell found:

“Higher diet quality and physical activity level were … inversely associated with several body adiposity measures. Therefore, healthy lifestyle habits before and during menopause might delay the onset of severe metabolic conditions in women.”

In other words, eating well and exercising regularly means you are less likely to gain weight or develop diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Researchers from the University of Naples Federico II (Italy) concluded:

“Weight gain is a common phenomenon in menopause and age of onset is influenced by several factors. Among modifiable risk factors are sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy nutritional patterns, which often result in obesity that in turn contributes to an increase in cardiovascular risk in menopause, mostly through low-grade inflammation.”

An Australian study based on 7270 women found that around 60% managed to avoid weight gain at menopause. You definitely wouldn’t believe the figure is that high from media reports and advertising.

Clare Collins, Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle (UK) and colleagues writing in The Conversation agree:

“Even though weight gain is common, you can beat it by using menopause as an opportunity to reset your eating and exercise habits.”

This insight from Professor Collins supports what I said earlier – this is a time to have a big reset, changing your lifestyle to something that will serve you for the rest of your life.

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