Weight Gain and Hot Flushes: Research on Menopause
Exercise training is known for seemingly endless physical, emotional, and cognitive health benefits. Interestingly in a 2015 independent study on menopausal women was conducted and the findings were empowering…
Menopause is a stage in a woman’s life, marked by physical and psychological changes, including possibly weight gain.
The Physiological changes: There’s a study found that exercise training significantly reduced the sweating and cutaneous vasodilatation responses typically observed during hot flush episodes. In addition to the acute reduction in cerebral blood flow experienced during a hot flush was also attenuated with exercise training. These findings provide direct evidence that exercise training can effectively reduce the physiological severity of hot flushes by improving thermoregulatory and cerebrovascular responses.
In other words, exercise can show improved circulation to your brain improving health and function. It also helps with sweating and “heat” symptoms of having a menopausal hot flush.
Albeit, the research consists of self-reporting information and this is a singular study vs a meta-analysis;
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26676059/
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The physical changes: .
The severity of menopausal symptoms is higher among obese women, and clinically significant weight loss can significantly improve these symptoms.
- Nearly 39% of women undergoing menopausal transition are either overweight or obese, with this proportion increasing with age.
Fortunately the controllable are the same despite alterations in emotional and hormonal changes. This is why it is so important to facilitate healthy habits earlier than later as your routine of exercise and nutrition will not only pay dividends with health benefits but also be easier to maintain through aging.
Some factors that may influence weight gain including
- hormonal changes
- unhealthy eating behavior (Controllable)
- sedentary lifestyle (Controllable)
- and psychological distress. (research supports exercise helps this)
Psychological factors such as
- depression
- stress
- Emotional eating play a significant role in obesity among menopausal women.
(research supports exercise helps this)
Lifestyle-related factors such as:
- excessive caloric intake (Controllable)
- low physical activity (Controllable)
- Sedentary behavior contribute to weight gain during menopause. (Controllable)
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