menopausal weight gain, perimenopause, body changes, weight gain, lifestyle changes, body fat percentage, obesity, metabolism, lifestyle
One of the major complaints that most women face during menopause is weight gain. Menopause is often accompanied by quick adverse changes in body composition such as hot flashes and an increased risk of chronic diseases such as osteoporosis and heart disease. A new study suggests that lifestyle interventions aimed at managing these problems are most valuable during perimenopause.
The study titled ‘The Metabolic Effects of Menopause: A Cross-Sectional Characterization of Body Composition and Exercise Metabolism’ has been published in the journal ‘Menopause’ of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
More attention is paid to the adverse symptoms of menopause. The reality is that many of the changes associated with decreased quality of life, productivity and intimacy occur in the period before menopause, known as perimenopause. Studies have documented that menopause is associated with an increase in fat mass as well as redistribution of fat toward the abdomen, with perimenopause being an important transition point for these changes. Some studies have also shown that menopause can additionally lead to loss of lean mass as well as loss of bone mass.
It is well known that energy expenditure during rest and exercise decreases with age, but few studies have evaluated the menopausal transition as an independent factor that may affect metabolism.
In this new study, researchers evaluated women at all stages of menopause (premenopause, perimenopause and postmenopause) to understand changes in body composition along with resting metabolism and exercise. A secondary objective was to identify the relationship between body composition and lifestyle factors such as dietary habits, physical inactivity and sleep, which are important contributors to changes in body composition and metabolism.
The researchers concluded that perimenopause may be the most appropriate window for lifestyle intervention as this group experienced a higher percentage of adiposity, less lean body mass and a shift toward central obesity.
The greatest changes in overall percentage of adiposity were observed between the premenopause and perimenopause periods, indicating that the menopausal transition stimulates changes that stabilize after menopause. The largest differences in exercise metabolism were highlighted during moderate-intensity exercise, with post-menopausal displaying the worst metabolic flexibility (defined as resting energy expenditure and substrate utilization during exercise).
These differences in exercise metabolism occurred despite the higher average physical activity reported in the perimenopause and postmenopause groups.
To prevent unwanted changes in resting metabolism, as well as metabolic flexibility, it is suggested that menopausal women engage in activities that help maintain lean mass, such as resistance exercise, as well as moderate to high Maintaining or increasing oxidative capacity with intense exercise. ,
“This study underscores the adverse body composition and metabolic changes that occur during the menopausal transition, which contribute to the increased cardiovascular risk associated with menopause. Additional research is needed to determine if there is a change in body composition related to menopause.” Whether there is an opportunity to stop changes and metabolism with permanent lifestyle interventions,” said NAMS medical director Dr. Stephanie Faubion.
