Why do women get fat with age?

With age, the production of hormones decreases. In women over XNUMX, the production of both estrogen and progesterone decreases. Estrogen is a hormone responsible for the division and growth of cells, progesterone acts as its “antagonist”, making sure that this process is kept normal. This subtle balance is disturbed during the menopause. The decline in progesterone occurs faster than that of estrogen, and consequently fat cells grow excessively. Hormonal imbalance also causes water retention in the body, which results in swelling and a visual enlargement of the figure.

As we age, we burn calories more slowly – and this is true for both men and women. So we have to reckon with the fact that even if we eat as much as ten years earlier, we will gain more weight. Lack of exercise itself is very dangerous to health – it can even lead to death – and combining it with already reduced metabolism is a deadly mixture for the figure.

Inappropriate, i.e. low in fiber, proteins, good fatty acids, iron, vitamin D and magnesium (the latter supports the hormonal balance). In middle age, it is more inadvisable than before to eat processed food contaminated with pesticides and meat from animals whose food contains synthetic hormones. Such food adversely affects the secretion of estrogen.

As the years go by, the liver’s functions become less effective, especially if we previously consumed alcohol or medications in excess. In order not to gain weight, it is worth limiting yourself to a unit of alcohol per day (a glass of wine, one beer), not reaching for tablets (including over-the-counter ones) unnecessarily and supporting the work of the liver by taking supplements such as calcium, folic acid, and milk thistle extract. or cleansing cucumber juice.

Age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) is common and begins in the third decade of life. Perhaps it has its evolutionary justification – this is how the young hunter’s hypothesis put forward by Pnina Vardi and Orita Pinhas-Hamiel from Tel-Aviv University. According to her, in the evolutionary past, food providers needed adequate muscles to ensure their survival during hunting. However, as the body ages, instead of building muscle, it develops fatty tissue that was supposed to protect against starvation in old age. From this perspective, weight gain with age is an adaptive process conducive to survival, although today, of course, there is no such justification as it was centuries ago.

Middle-aged people are more likely to experience stress due to excess responsibilities. XNUMX-year-olds also work professionally, run a home, take care of children and aging parents, and the list of daily tasks and challenges seems endless. In difficult situations, the stress hormone cortisol sends information to the brain so that the body begins to store energy to fight adversity. As a result, we start to eat more and end up with wider hips or a tire on our stomach. In order for this not to happen, it is worth systematically reducing the level of stress through long walks, proper breathing, yoga exercises or a rational daily schedule with tasks that can be performed.

Sleep disturbance is a symptom typical of menopause. Unfortunately, half an hour of sleep is not enough to notice the disastrous effect on the figure. Sleep deprivation slows down the metabolism and also regulates hunger-controlling hormones – ghrelin and leptin. As a result, the next day we are more likely to reach for high-calorie products and eat more. Fatigue after a sleepless night, in turn, reduces the desire to exercise and makes us burn excess food worse.

With age, the standards of what we consider to be the “norm of thinness” change. Research shows that the appearance of overweight in one of the members of a given social group (and most often we socialize with people of a similar age) increases the chance that other members of this group will gain weight. When our friends get fatter, our tolerance for being overweight increases.

The weight is also influenced by… new partners. It is the entry into another relationship (e.g. after a divorce) that is sometimes mentioned by women as the reason for the emergence of extra pounds. Why? First, the newly found happiness may slightly loosen the self-imposed diet regime. Second, living together may mean less activity outside the home. Third, women follow a diet and exercise also to increase their attractiveness in the eyes of a potential partner. Once this occurs, your motivation to stay lean may diminish.