Scientists pinpoint the best diet to help midlife women avoid stubborn weight gain
A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains – and low in meat and dairy – may help women stave off weight gain during menopause, a study has found.
Women put on an average of 1.5kg – or 3.3lbs – each year during perimenopause and menopause, research shows, with many citing the extra pounds as one of the most frustrating symptoms.
Menopausal weight gain is thought to be due to the body’s natural decline in oestrogen during middle-age. The sex hormone can affect the body’s ability to convert food into energy, as well as impacting appetite and the way fat is distributed.
Now, a new study may provide women with a simple solution.
An international team of researchers, led by Harvard Medical School, found that following a diet high in plant-based foods and low in meat and dairy could prevent weight gain during the menopause.
In contrast, diets containing a lot of salt, red and processed meat, potatoes and ultra-processed foods like chips could cause weight to surge.
Following the plant-based diet – also known as the low-insulinemic, or planetary health diet – could also help women reduce their risk of obesity, concluded researchers, as well as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.
‘These findings suggest that low-insulinemic, planetary-health diets may optimise weight management during menopause and, if promoted during routine midlife care, could improve women’s weight management and long-term cardiometabolic health,’ wrote the study’s authors.
Among the many symptoms that middle-aged women have to deal with during menopause , weight gain is perhaps one of the most frustrating
To measure the impact of diet on menopausal weight gain, researchers followed 38,283 American nurses with an average age of 45.6 for 12 years, monitoring their diets every four years.
They also assessed each woman’s ethnicity, marital status, household income, use of postmenopausal hormone therapy (HRT), smoking habits, alcohol consumption, total calorie intake, physical activity levels and each woman’s body mass index (BMI) at the start of the study.
They found that, on average, women in the study gained around 0.8kg – or 1.7lbs – per year.
However, women following the planetary health diet – lower in red and processed meat, salt, potatoes and foods like chips and crisps – gained around 0.28kg, or 0.6lbs, less per year.
Over the course of the study, this was equivalent to roughly 3.4kg – or 7.5lbs – less than those with the poorest diets. They were also around half as likely to develop obesity.
It adds to a growing body of evidence backing the benefits of the planetary health diet – which previous studies have linked to a 27 per cent reduced risk of premature death, as well as lower levels of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Wrote the researchers: ‘The findings support low-insulinemic and planetary health diets, low in red and processed meats, potatoes, and sodium, and rich in nuts, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as an optimal strategy for weight management during menopause.
‘Incorporating this dietary guidance into routine midlife care may help prevent obesity and support long-term cardiometabolic health in women.’
In guidance published earlier this year, the NHS said reducing stress, exercising regularly, cutting back on caffeine and alcohol, quitting smoking and following a healthy diet can all help manage weight gain during menopause.
It states: ‘It is important however to ensure that weight gain isn’t caused by something else, such as an underactive thyroid, particularly if you have a family history of the condition. If this is the case, you should speak to your GP.’
NHS guidance also clarifies that while HRT can sometimes cause temporary fluid retention – which may lead to short-term weight fluctuations – there is ‘no scientific evidence’ that the therapy causes long-term weight gain.