Menopause and obesity
"Menopause-hormones-fat burning-excess weight" – another myth?
With age, there are more overweight people, while women are more likely to develop obesity. It is believed that specific age-related hormonal changes are "to blame" for this. However, the results of a recent study largely refutes this well-established point of view, and its authors offer simple and proven ways to correct excess weight.
Menopause, or menopause, is a natural stage in the development of the female body, characterized by the cessation of reproductive function, and, accordingly, the secretion of female sex hormones estrogens. It is believed that estrogens contribute to the "burning" of fat, and their deficiency can lead to weight gain and metabolic disorders.
Recently, scientists from Finland conducted experiments in which 42 women aged 52-58 years took part. Some of the participants were still premenopausal, others were in menopause, and some of them were taking hormone replacement therapy. Scientists wanted to find out how the level of sex hormones is related to the indicators of fat metabolism in women of about the same age, but at different stages of the decline of reproductive function.
The parameters of beta-oxidation of fatty acids were evaluated in the subjects – it is this metabolic process, one of the main "suppliers" of energy for the synthesis of energy-intensive ATP molecules, which is usually called "fat burning". Measurements were carried out both at rest and during physical exertion using the indirect calorimetry method based on the assessment of pulmonary ventilation indicators reflecting cellular processes of oxygen conversion into carbon dioxide during energy production.
The results were unexpected: the effectiveness of "burning" fats did not depend on either the menopausal status or the level of sex hormones. At rest, the determining factor in the rate of fat utilization was the overall energy balance. In other words, the usual mechanism worked: women who generally consumed less energy than they spent, "burning" fat went faster. And when training on an exercise bike, the highest rates of fat oxidation were demonstrated by women with good physical fitness, primarily with high cardiorespiratory endurance.
Article by Karppinen et al. Associations of resting and peak fat oxidation with sex hormone profile and blood glucose control in middle-aged women are published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.
Scientists believe that the data obtained still need to be confirmed, ideally, to observe how changes in the rate of fat burning occur in the same woman at the onset of menopause or immediately after the start of hormone therapy. But so far, the effect of menopause on the process of fat utilization in the body seems insignificant compared to the peculiarities of nutrition and the level of physical fitness.
A practical conclusion follows from this: there is no need to be afraid and accept the "inevitable" weight gain during menopause – it is better to devote more time to physical education and organize proper nutrition.
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