Menopause and weight gain: ‘Nourish your body, don’t punish it’
HealthThe Irish Times

Menopause and weight gain: ‘Nourish your body, don’t punish it’

Women in perimenopause gain an average of 1.5kg per year, and cutting calories too hard can backfire as a stressed body holds onto fat rather than releasing it.

Average weight gain in perimenopause is 1.5kg per year, with excess abdominal fat bringing health concerns

The Long Sip
What happened

Nutritional therapist Rachel Graham explains why weight gain around the middle is the top symptom driving perimenopausal women to seek her help.

The detail

Average weight gain during perimenopause is 1.5kg per year, with excess abdominal fat carrying health risks beyond appearance, and fluctuating hormones beginning years before menopause itself.

What it means

Graham's advice is to nourish rather than restrict, as cutting calories can cause the body to hold onto fat, and optimising nutrients may be more effective.

For you

Nutritional therapist Rachel Graham says restricting food can signal threat to the body and increase fat storage, so focusing on nutrient-rich foods may work better than dieting.

Full story at The Irish Times

What readers are saying

Wends
It is helpful to see the focus shift toward what we can add to our diet, like fibre and specific nutrients, rather than just restriction. The connection between low oestrogen and the increased risk of osteoporosis or heart disease after menopause makes a dual approach of lifestyle and medical support look very sensible.
normaw44
Does the 10kg average weight gain include the 1.5kg annual increase during perimenopause, or is that a separate figure? Resistance training seems vital if muscle loss is accelerating and lowering our ability to burn calories.
CoastalMaureen
A stressed body holding fat makes sense when you're exhausted.
Puzzle break

Five minutes for you

True or false1 of today's 5
“Kraft "Cheez Whiz" contains cheese culture, but doesn't actually contain cheese”
More to play, free every day
Daily CrosswordWord DashRare FindThe Link

More from Cuppa

Astronomers discover green star 280 light-years away; what makes it glow greenLithuania told residents to go to shelters after detecting a flying object

Lithuania briefly ordered residents to shelter and closed Kaunas airport on Sunday after an unidentified flying object was detected in its airspace.

A wave of homemade, synthetic drugs sweeps US and deepens crisisLiberals being ‘led by the nose’ against EU trade deal

A federal minister is calling on Liberal leader Angus Taylor to stand up to the Nationals and support the $10 billion-a-year Australia-EU free trade deal.

Canadian Defence Minister confirms Alberta base deaths

People have been killed and injured in a fire at one of Canada's busiest military bases in Alberta, with the cause still unknown.

Indigenous woman shackled to hospital bed while in labour in Queensland

An Indigenous woman was shackled to a hospital bed during labour in Queensland last weekend, days after Labor and the Coalition blocked a bill to ban the practice.

Scientists tested 39 sweeteners and uncovered surprising gut effects

A lab study found that about three-quarters of 39 common sweeteners altered gut bacteria, with one sweetener combined with an antidepressant producing particularly strong effects.

'Champi' seen entering PAR at super typhoon strength

Super Typhoon Champi is forecast to enter the Philippines area of responsibility by Tuesday with winds up to 230 km/h, heading toward Taiwan.

Back to the feed