Weight loss after menopause

Even more reasons for older women (and probably men too) to not only lose weight; but keep the pounds off. A fascinating study on postmenopausal women finds that if they regain weight after losing postmenopausal weight, they don’t regain as much lean tissue as they lost, so the end result is more fat, even when they return to their original weight. .

You lose lean tissue and fat when you lose weight according to the study authors. Research has shown that lean tissue makes up about a quarter of total weight loss. Loss of lean muscle and bone is especially problematic for older people, and is something doctors need to consider when counseling their older patients.

For the research, the team investigated the body composition of just under 80 postmenopausal women (ages 50 to 70) who were not active either before or just after finishing a five-month diet. The team weighed the subjects six and 12 months after they lost weight, looking at the body composition of anyone who regained a minimum of 4.5 pounds.

Overall, the subjects lost about 12% of their body weight on the diet, but at 6-month follow-up, almost two-thirds of them had regained some weight. By the year of follow-up, nearly three-quarters of the subjects had recovered, including 11 who had gained even more than they had lost. At this point, 84% of those who regained weight had passed the 4.5-pound benchmark.

The subjects had lost twice as much muscle as fat on a low-calorie diet, but after they recovered their bodies had more than four times as much fat as muscle. Previous weight gain/regain studies conducted on younger subjects have shown that they generally gain fat and lean muscle at a similar rate to that they lost.

Of course, because the study did not have a control group of age-matched women who did not lose and then regain weight, no one can be sure that the alteration in composition from lean muscle to fat is not just a natural process. for his age. . This is a question that needs to be examined in the future.

On this same topic, an article published in 2009 discussed the changes in body composition of men and women aged 70 to 79, comparing those who had lost a minimum of 3% of their body weight and then regained it with those whose weight stayed the same. They found that so-called weight cycling may well contribute to a general loss of lean muscle mass in older men. Here too, more research was needed.

Experts are still struggling to understand the natural changes in body composition over time. This is especially important today because so many of us are heavy, and overweight people are surviving longer than ever before. There are no good guidelines for doctors to follow in terms of treating obese older people. There are experts who believe that it is better to leave them as they are, some are totally opposed to older people losing weight.

While you will need to make your own decision in terms of losing weight after menopause, not only is there a very real risk of regaining it, but weight loss in old age can have a detrimental impact on lean muscle to fat composition. of your body In favor of weight loss in the elderly is the knowledge that when obese older patients lose weight, their osteoarthritis improves, they can move and use stairs more easily and this improvement in quality of life is invaluable. Only you can make the best decision for you and your circumstances.