As we women transition through perimenopause and menopause, weight gain tends to happen. The reasons for this are complex. Some studies have explored the impact of estrogen on this weight change. While blocking estrogen during perimenopause reduced energy expenditure, suggesting that estrogen deficiency cause the weight gain. Recent research suggests that aging itself might play a significant role.
A new Finnish study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, compared total and resting energy expenditure in three groups of women at different life stages: Group 1 (17-21 years old), Group 2 (22-38 years old), and Group 3 (41-58 years old, comprising perimenopausal, menopausal, and menopausal women on conventional HRT). This study also involved mother-daughter pairs. The findings were striking: Group 1 women expended 126 more calories than Group 3, while Group 2 expended 88 more calories than Group 3. Additionally, daughters used 100 more calories than their mothers. Surprisingly, Group 3 women, regardless of whether they were on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), showed similarly lower resting energy expenditure. These data strongly suggests that aging itself, rather than solely estrogen loss, contributes to the decline in metabolic rate among older women.
It appears that my work as a menopause transition expert is about preventing or slowing cellular aging and not just maintaining hormonal health as we age.