Menopause: Is weight gain inevitable?

As if the menopause would not prepare their, hot flashes, depression and hormonal changes, women have enough problems, it usually comes at this time to a significant weight gain. But the extra kilos really have anything to do with menopause?

Often women in their middle age significantly gain weight. However, the reason for this is not just the hormones, because just at the time of menopause is change lifestyle in many women. The children need less support and wild dances have been replaced by cozy evenings at home with good food. But that these changes are one of the causes for weight gain during menopause. In addition,in males and females, reduced the daily calorie needs with age. Cause is, already onset at about 30, breakdown of muscle mass and concomitant increase in adipose tissue. However common way to burn muscles themselves alone, get significantly more calories than fat tissue receives. In addition, the female body needs lots of calories, allowing to ripen a fertilized egg monthly, an energy consumer, who is also eliminated after menopause. Of course, the hormonal changes during menopause also affects the weight, of as suggested in other ways.

Effect of hormones on fat distribution.

By entering the menopause, come changes in the female body’s production of sex hormones. This decreases notably the concentration of progesterone and estrogen, while the male hormones such as testosterone are produced unchanged. This relative excess of male hormones effects not directly on the weight, but it leads to a change in fat distribution. Normally adipose tissue accumulates in women’s hip and buttocks, which leads figure to the so-called pear shape.In men, however, tends to be an apple shape, as the preferred fat accumulates in the abdominal area. By entering to the menopause related hormonal change, it is also affects to easier formation of flab in the abdominal area women, so that older women after menopause also acquire, tend to, apple shape. Thus, the risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes increases sharply for women.

Accept a few more kilos?

Certainly the adoption to weight gain of a few kilos not easy for women, but during menopause is tolerable. Medical studies have shown that a few cases, can be handles complaints, because of menopause to buffer some because they can save estrogens and even produce itself. However, the weight gain should not lead to obesity, because obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and a number of other diseases. Therefore, you should respond as soon as possible with a reduced consumed calorie and exercise focus on the changing caloric needs, which have positive impact on the health and general well-being.