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Study Highlights Plant-Based Diet Benefits for Menopausal Weight Management
A study suggests that consuming plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains—while limiting meat and dairy—could assist women in preventing weight gain during menopause.
Research indicates that women typically gain approximately 1.5 kg (or 3.3 lbs) annually during perimenopause and menopause, with many identifying this added weight as one of the most irritating symptoms.
Menopausal weight gain is often attributed to the natural decrease in estrogen levels during midlife. This sex hormone influences the body’s capability to convert food into energy, as well as affecting appetite and fat distribution.
New Research Offers a Simple Dietary Solution
Now, a recent study might offer women a straightforward remedy.
An international research team, headed by Harvard Medical School, discovered that adopting a diet abundant in plant-based foods and low in meat and dairy could help women avoid weight gain during menopause.
On the other hand, diets high in salt, red and processed meats, potatoes, and ultra-processed items like chips might lead to significant weight increases.
Adhering to this plant-based diet—also referred to as the low-insulinemic or planetary health diet—could likewise reduce women’s risk of obesity, according to the researchers, along with type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
“These results imply that low-insulinemic, planetary-health diets might optimize weight control during menopause, and if promoted as part of routine midlife care, could enhance women’s weight management and long-term cardiometabolic health,” wrote the study authors.
Among the many symptoms that middle-aged women have to deal with during menopause , weight gain is perhaps one of the most frustrating
Study Design and Participants
To assess how diet influences menopausal weight gain, the researchers monitored 38,283 American nurses, average age 45.6, over 12 years, tracking their eating habits every four years.
They also evaluated each participant’s ethnicity, marital status, household income, use of postmenopausal hormone therapy (HRT), smoking habits, alcohol consumption, total caloric intake, physical activity levels, and body mass index (BMI) at the study’s outset.
Key Findings on Weight Change
On average, women in the study gained approximately 0.8 kg (or 1.7 lbs) annually.
However, those following the planetary health diet—lower in red and processed meats, salt, potatoes, and foods like chips and crisps—gained about 0.28 kg (or 0.6 lbs) less each year.
Over the study period, this amounted to roughly 3.4 kg (or 7.5 lbs) less than those with the least healthy diets. They were also about half as likely to develop obesity.
Broader Health Implications
This adds to mounting evidence supporting the benefits of the planetary health diet—which previous research has linked to a 27% reduced risk of premature death, as well as lower rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.
The researchers wrote: “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.”
NHS Advice on Managing Menopausal Weight Gain
In guidance released earlier this year, the NHS stated that reducing stress, exercising regularly, cutting down on caffeine and alcohol, quitting smoking, and following a healthy diet can all help manage weight gain during menopause.
It adds: “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.
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