Menopause, Cortisol and Weight Gain

What’s the Deal?

Have you noticed that lately there has been a lot of attention on cortisol and its supposed effect on weight gain during and after menopause?

“Cortisol belly”, “Diet to shrink cortisol fat” and ‘Yoga for cortisol belly” seem to pop up all over the internet- especially if you are a woman of a certain age!

But is it real?

What is Cortisol?

Cortisol is a naturally occurring hormone made in the adrenal glands. It is known as a stress hormone and it is released in stressful situations, in a similar way to adrenaline, to ready the body for flight or fight to deal with a threat.

 But cortisol levels are also linked to sleep-wake patterns, eating, physical activity, and challenges in life. There is a normal daily fluctuation in cortisol levels through waking and sleeping hours. It seems that high cortisol can make cravings worse (so can lack of sleep in my experience!) and this could drive overeating, rather than cortisol making your body store more fat per se.

The age related increase does seem to partially explain why some women experience disturbed sleep during menopause

Gradually, with increasing age, cortisol levels in both women and men start to increase. There is also more variability in the circadian pattern of cortisol in women as they age. This may be partly why some women report difficulties with sleep during and after menopause.

What causes menopausal weight gain?

My own observations are that very few physiological changes are down to one factor only. So no, an age related hike in cortisol is not the only thing that causes weight gain around menopause.

The variations in hormone production around that time, especially but not exclusively, the decrease in oestrogen does cause a shift in the way fat is deposited. Rather than the womanly pear shape, a more abdomen-centric weight gain around the middle and thighs becomes more common, which is where men tend to carry excess fat.

Weight gain at this stage however is not all about hormones, there are other factors at play too.

As we get older our muscles become less responsive to the stimuli of exercise and protein intake so we tend to lose lean muscle mass, unless we work hard on ensuring that is minimised through intentional protein intake and resistance training). Thus any energy in excess of our daily needs is more likely to be stored as fat.

Additionally, there is a tendency to do less vigorous exercise as we get older and this too can affect weight and shape.

Sleep is an important factor in weight gain and it is well known that sleep can be disrupted during the hormonal shifts of menopause. Tiredness as a result can drive a desire for sweet or salty snacks and possibly excess Calories.

What can be done?

There are no silver bullets (despite the social media claims). Menopause will, for many women mean a change in body shape and weight.

This carries risks such as high blood pressure, increased risk of cardiovascular disease and  type II .

There are a number of ways that you can address these changes:

·      Dial down your energy intake. This might be as simple as not snacking between meals, reducing portion size or cutting out added sugars.

·      Consider your alcohol intake. Alcohol has no nutritional benefit and just adds to weight gain. It can bring on hot flushes too!

·      Intermittent fasting has some evidence for weight loss efficacy but it is unclear whether it has anything to do with changes in cortisol levels. More likely, a shorter eating ‘window’ means that fewer Calories are consumed across the day.

·      Commit to moving daily- and to including exercise which makes you out of breath, plus exercise that uses weights to stimulate muscle mass. Walking alone is not going to cut it.

·      Make a plan to prioritise sleep. Everything is easier when you sleep well.

·      Contact a nutritionist (like me!) to help you to navigate this tricky phase of life and to put into place a clear, do-able plan to stay healthy and happy through and past menopause.

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