Insulin resistance and weight gain at menopause

Many women can relate to unwanted, often significant, weight gain during menopause.  This excess weight just won’t shift and they find their go-to weight loss strategies no longer work.

Weight gain at menopause can be a complex matter with many factors contributing to these changes including a more sedentary lifestyle, changing hormone levels, stress, poor sleep patterns, and an unhealthy diet.

Muscle mass decreases with age and this reduces your ability to burn calories.  This can lead to weight gain particularly if you are inactive and not eating a healthy diet.

However, insulin resistance has been shown to be a major contributor to weight gain at menopause

When you are insulin resistant it is easier to put weight on and harder to lose weight.

How it works:

Insulin is a hormone your pancreas releases to control blood sugar levels in your body.  It is known as a storage hormone and deposits glucose in the liver, muscles and fat cells. 

Glucose is a simple sugar and is the basic fuel for the body. Most of the glucose in your body comes from the diet. When food is digested, sugar enters your bloodstream. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas and is released into your blood when you eat. Insulin allows the sugar to enter your cells and lowers the amount of sugar in your blood. When your blood sugar level starts to drop, the pancreas slows down the secretion of insulin into the blood.

Glucose is stored in the liver and muscles in a form called glycogen. It can also be stored in fat cells.

Insulin resistance is a condition in which your body does not respond as it should to insulin and the cells struggle to use glucose for energy and instead converts and stores excess glucose as fat. 

As well as making us gain weight, insulin resistance can lead to many chronic health conditions including, prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, thyroid problems and Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Genetics and lifestyle factors are linked to insulin resistance. However, two main contributors to insulin resistance are lack of physical activity and excess belly fat.

4 simple dietary changes for improving insulin resistance:

• Eat protein with each main meal. This can include lean animal protein (fish, chicken, beef, eggs) or plant proteins (legumes, beans, nuts and seeds)

• Change the timing of your largest meal of the day to lunchtime.  This gives your body time to digest and absorb foods and helps with weight loss.  Your blood sugar will be more stable and it reduces food cravings.

• Restrict refined carbohydrates in the diet such as white bread, biscuits, pasta, and cake.  Avoid sugary drinks, diet drinks and alcohol.

• Don’t eat fruit after dinner at night as your body has a harder time breaking it down

Naturopathic approaches to help manage Insulin Resistance

Weight loss

Weight loss helps to improve insulin response in the body. When it comes to weight loss there is not a one size fits all approach.  The Ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting and low glyceamic (GI) diets are beneficial for weight loss and improving insulin response.

Just reorganising how you eat can also make a big difference.  Eat a protein- based breakfast instead of sugary cereals. Eat your largest meal at lunch. Eat a small meal at night.

The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet includes healthy oils, vegetables, legumes and fish, has been shown to reduce weight in perimenopausal and menopausal women.  Research shows it not only has a positive effect on weight management, but improves cardiometabolic health and other menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes.

Get Active

Regular exercise helps reduce insulin resistance and increases metabolism to promote weight loss.

A study of premenopausal women found 16 weeks of moderate to vigorous intensity exercise, 30 minutes per session, five days a week increased lean muscle mass, decreased body fat percentage and improved the ratio of oestrogen metabolites.

Many women have trouble staying active due to injury, sore joints or fatigue. If this is a problem for you, try more gentle exercises like tai chi, swimming, or long slow walks. Talk to an exercise physiologist who can help with exercise that are appropriate for you and will prevent further issues.

Exercise hack:

If you are going to the gym and doing the work but not seeing any weight loss, you may not be doing the best type of workout for your bodies changing needs. Try a different workout or exercises. Speak to a professional exercise physiologist who can give you advice specific to your bodies’ needs and abilities.

Sleep

Lack of sleep increases your risk of developing insulin resistance. A poor nights’ sleep can affect glucose tolerance and cause inflammation in the body that disrupts glucose metabolism. Research has found a minimum of seven hours of sleep a night helps prevent metabolic and blood sugar imbalances.

Calm the nervous system

Most of us live in a state of overwhelm inundated with electronic devices, technology and a continual flow of stimuli and demands for our time and attention coming from every direction.  This causes our body to be in ‘fight or flight’ mode most of the time.  When this happens, adrenalin, cortisol and insulin are all elevated.  This eventually affects our metabolic health and can lead to imbalances in the body, including hormonal imbalance and weight gain.

Finding some space in your day to find some sanctuary from these demands is crucial to maintain balance and good health.  My go to is meditation but yoga, tai chi, relaxation massage and mindfulness are beneficial to calm the nervous system and move you away from living in ‘fight or flight’ mode.

Chronic stress sabotages weight loss efforts and promotes cravings, often leading you to seek out tasty, high-fat, calorie dense foods.  Research also shows the combination of elevated stress hormones combined with insulin resistance predicts an increased risk of weight gain.

Avoid smoking as it’s associated with a higher risk of insulin resistance. 

Avoid alcohol

Alcohol is high calorie, it causes imbalances in your gut microbiome, puts pressure on your liver, interrupts hormones, affects our sleep patterns all of which can contribute to weight gain, especially around the abdomen.

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Prediabetes - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

Insulin Resistance: What It Is, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment (clevelandclinic.org)

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