Weight Gain, Menopause, and Intermittent Fasting

Many women gain weight due to hormonal changes during perimenopause. Sex hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, decrease. As estrogen levels fall, the body’s metabolism can change. Estrogen plays a role in regulating metabolism. Your metabolism is the process by which your body converts food to energy and burns calories. If your metabolism slows down, you burn fewer calories, and you’re more likely to gain weight.

Many women are concerned about menopause weight gain. “I feel frustrated with how my body feels now, my clothes don’t fit well anymore, and I cannot seem to lose the extra weight,” a woman surveyed by ThisIsMenopause wrote.

Another woman said, “The weight gain is so difficult to resolve. It is frustrating doing similar things to lose weight, but the weight just doesn’t budge.”

Women in their 40s or 50s typically gain 1.5 pounds each year, or about 15 pounds over a decade. During these midlife years, many women are often in perimenopause, during which estrogen levels begin to fall. Menopause begins when menstrual periods have permanently stopped. By age 60, approximately three-quarters of postmenopausal women are considered overweight or obese.

What Women Are Saying About Weight Gain and Menopause

“The weight gain is so difficult to resolve. It is frustrating doing similar things to lose weight, but the weight just doesn’t budge.”

“I feel frustrated with how my body feels now, my clothes don’t fit well anymore, and I cannot seem to lose the extra weight.”

Lower estrogen levels in perimenopause and menopause are linked to weight gain and a range of metabolic disorders. In fact, menopausal women are at an increased risk of developing metabolic disorders such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance. Intermittent fasting may help with weight management and protect your metabolic health.

Research on Intermittent Fasting and Menopause

Along with weight loss, intermittent fasting has been shown to benefit women in many ways that can support overall health, including:

• Decreasing appetite
• Lowering inflammation
• Improving gut health
• Improving immune function

Studies specifically on intermittent fasting and menopause are still limited. But there’s promising evidence that the effects of intermittent fasting may help menopausal women manage weight and hormonal fluctuations that contribute to uncomfortable symptoms and health risks.

Balancing Hormones

In perimenopause and menopause, hormone changes cause estrogen levels to decrease. Other hormones are also affected, including cortisol, often called the stress hormone. Estrogen plays a role in regulating cortisol levels, and some research suggests cortisol may rise as estrogen levels decline. Higher cortisol is linked to menopausal symptoms such as brain fog, sleep problems, fatigue, anxiety, and weight gain.

Intermittent fasting has been shown in some studies to influence hormones such as estrogen, cortisol, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). DHEA helps regulate estrogen and testosterone levels, both of which change during menopause. Low testosterone in women is associated with menopausal symptoms such as low sex drive, fatigue, hot flashes, brain fog, and bone loss.

However, one small study showed that intermittent fasting decreased levels of DHEA, rather than raising them. Likewise, some research has shown that fasting actually increases cortisol levels, rather than lowering them.

Reducing Visceral Fat

Research shows that after 12 hours of fasting, the body begins relying more on fat stores for energy. This may help reduce visceral fat, which builds up in the belly and around organs.

Too much visceral fat raises the risk of health conditions like metabolic disorders, high cholesterol, and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). It’s normal to have approximately 5 percent to 8 percent of total body fat as visceral fat. However, a redistribution of fat often occurs with menopause, and visceral fat increases to 15 percent to 20 percent of body fat. Decreasing visceral fat is one potential health benefit of intermittent fasting.

“I definitely have had weight redistribution, but am at a good weight overall. I work out a lot. I can’t eat a lot,” a woman surveyed by ThisIsMenopause wrote about her belly fat.

Lowering Insulin Spikes

Intermittent fasting is also linked to a decrease in insulin spikes. This helps increase insulin sensitivity and maintain healthy blood sugar levels. If insulin spikes occur too often, insulin resistance can develop, which increases the risk of high blood sugar and diabetes.

Weight Loss With Exercise

Intermittent fasting has been found to help women lose about 7 percent of their body weight over six months. When intermittent fasting is combined with exercise, the benefits may be even greater. One study showed that intermittent fasting with exercise reduced symptoms related to menopause and significantly improved quality of life.

Risks Associated With Intermittent Fasting

Although some research shows that intermittent fasting may help reduce symptoms of menopause, other research has shown that it may not have all of those benefits. For instance, if intermittent fasting increases cortisol, as some research indicates, it may increase symptoms like anxiety, poor sleep, and mood swings.

If you’re in perimenopause or menopause and want to try intermittent fasting, talk to your doctor about your risks and whether it’s right for you. It may also help to consult a doctor experienced in women’s health and menopause.

Intermittent fasting isn’t usually recommended if you:

• Have disordered eating or a history of an eating disorder
• Have diabetes that requires taking insulin
• Need medications that have to be taken throughout the day with food
• Are taking a GLP-1 drug

Intermittent fasting can also increase the risk of undernourishment and dehydration if you’re not careful with how you restrict eating. Planning meals for your eating window that include nutrient-dense foods such as fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and whole grains is key with intermittent fasting. It’s important to eat enough protein to avoid losing muscle mass when fasting. It’s also important to drink plenty of water, even when you are fasting.

Talk to your healthcare team before you start intermittent fasting. If you try intermittent fasting and feel overly tired or lose weight too quickly, be sure to seek medical advice. You may need to make adjustments in how you are eating, or your doctor may determine that intermittent fasting isn’t appropriate for you.