What happens to our metabolism in menopause?

What happens to our metabolism in menopause? If you are like the majority of women, you will notice weight gain, lowered energy levels and maybe even an increase in cholesterol. Metabolism is a very complex process in which the physiological changes in menopause has an impact on health and how we feel. We are going to unpack some of the aspects of metabolism in menopause and how it impacts health.

What is metabolism?

Metabolism is derived from the greek word, metabolē, meaning “to change”. Metabolism is a series of chemical reactions that either breakdown or synthesise molecules (called catabolism and anabolism, respectively) with the end goal being that energy called ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is produced. Mitochondria are the organelles in every cell of our body in which energy metabolism occurs, involving many interconnected pathways that use glucose or fatty acids to provide energy (ATP).

Our bodies require continuous energy to maintain function at the cellular and whole body levels, including many of the processes that we aren’t even aware of. Total energy expenditure (TEE) includes the basal metabolic rate (BMR), the thermic effect of food (TEF) and the thermic effect of activity (TEA).

BMR is the energy that is used by the body to keep you alive. Think, heart beating, breathing, blood circulating etc.

TEF is the heat generated (metabolic reaction to food) due to digestion, absorption, processing and storage of food and food breakdown products.

TEA is the activity of our skeletal muscles to maintain posture, walk around and do activities such as running, swimming and climbing stairs, for instance.

During the menopause transition, changes start occuring with energy metabolism due to the many changes that we experience in menopause, such as:

Stress
Sleep disturbance
Changes in fat and glucose metabolism

These changes together with sex hormone alterations can lead to increased risk of metabolic diseases such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, increased cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.

Menopause and changes in metabolism

During the perimenopause years, we start to see and experience the fluctuations in sex hormones, and when post menopause occurs, we no longer have fluctuating sex hormones, but rather more declined levels.

During peri and post menopause, the hormonal changes impact on body composition – we start to lose muscle, making us vulnerable to sarcopenia, lose muscle strength and experience weight gain in the abdominal area resulting in changes to body shape. Combine these changes with a sedentary lifestyle, we will see changes to energy metabolism, energy expenditure and basal metabolic rate (BMR), resulting in dysregulated lipid metabolism – in other words the changes in fat distribution are the product of hormonal changes that affect the way fats are distributed, used and stored in our body. This also has an effect on how glucose is distributed, used and stored in the body.

Muscle mass is important in menopause

Skeletal muscle is important as we age to improve strength, prevent falls and keep bones strong. Muscle is also important in metabolism and plays a crucial role in fat and glucose metabolism. Skeletal muscle plays a major role in maintaining blood glucose levels, and fat is a major endocrine organ (supplies hormones, controls metabolism, insulin sensitivity and energy homeostasis) that together, their actions are very closely intertwined.

Before menopause, skeletal muscle accounts for about 60-85% of the body, and every 10 years, from the age 30, we experience muscle loss at a rate of 3-8%, which accelerates with age, and with menopause.

The amount of energy that muscle uses is 54 kilojoules/kg/day compared to fat, which is 18 kilojoules/kg/day. The energy used by skeletal muscle is 3 times higher than that of fat, so the more muscle you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate is.

As we go through menopause and lose muscle and gain more fat, our basal metabolic rate is lower. There are a few processes at play when it comes to weight gain in menopause, declining oestrogen one of them, other hormones such as our appetite hormones can become less active, and combined with less activity and gaining more fat, our metabolism changes. Subcutaneous fat which found under our skin acts very differently than visceral fat, which is found around our tummy, increases in menopause and is metabolically active. Visceral fat is associated with the metabolic diseases mentioned previously, being insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. High stress, lack of sleep and our nutrition also contribute to metabolism changes.

Lifestyle strategies to decrease risk of metabolic diseases

Nutrition, joyful movement as well as stress reduction and good quality sleep are imperative for health and prevention of disease in menopause.

Nutrition

Macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) from dietary sources (not supplements) is always the best approach to get the best nutrition for your health.

Key nutrients to reduce muscle loss (sarcopenia), provide energy, protect bone health, and prevent metabolic diseases include appropriate amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fat in the diet as well as Vitamin D, B12, fibre and water.

With a focus on high nutrition rather than low calorie, a move away from the typical western diet of high energy, high saturated fats and more carbohydrates in the form of refined sugars is recommended. High nutrition includes a predominately plant based diet, and the most studied diet to provide this in menopause in the mediterranean diet. It provides all the macro and micronutrients needed as well as antioxidants such as Vitamin A, C and E, beta-carotene, plant flavonoids and soy flavonoids, fibre, probiotics and prebiotics.

Joyful movement

Physical activity that you enjoy is activity that you will return to time and time again. However, to keep muscle mass high and fat mass low, aerobic exercise and resistance exercise is recommended. This will keep your metabolism functioning optimally, prevent metabolic disease and protect your bone health. Aerobic exercise includes walking, running, swimming, cycling and dancing, while resistance exercise includes using resistance bands, your body weight as in yoga or pilates, and lifting light weights.

Stress reduction

Stress, whether it be physical or psychological, can have an effect on our metabolism. The stress response results in a release of hormones, namely the fight or flight hormones, that results in slowed digestion, immediate release of glucose from the muscles to fight or flee a stressful situation and next to no fat burning to preserve energy. To keep stress manageable, try deep belly breathing, journaling and meditation to calm down the nervous system and slow down the stress response.

Sleep strategies

Sleep is disrupted in menopause because of symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats and psychological factors such as stress. Good sleep really is the foundation to good health as we age, and it can negatively impact on our metabolic health. Our circadian rhythm influences and regulates body functions such as appetite, hormones, and glucose and fat metabolism. Some strategies to get better sleep include looking at your sleep routine such as turning off devices at least 1 hour before sleep, not eating at least 2 hours before sleep and dimming the lights to help with melatonin production to aid sleep.

Metabolism is a very complex process that affects our health in menopause as our physiology changes with sex hormones fluctuating and contributing to possible health consequences that could have adverse outcomes in metabolic diseases. If we follow some of the lifestyle strategies mentioned above, we can protect our health by ensuring that our metabolism is as efficient as it can be as we age.

If you are wanting further guidance to manage your lifestyle and symptoms in menopause, book a Free Discovery Call to learn more.

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