Talking to most women over 50 you will soon find that menopause and weight gain are connected in their experience. This is very common to gain weight at the moment and while this may be caused by changes in lifestyle, it does not explain why suddenly we develop a tendency to gain weight in different parts of the body, especially the abdomen, while any weight gained when we were younger tended to centered on the hips.

The truth is that hormonal changes have a role in this case, although the process is not fully understood. At menopause a woman stops ovulating, the end of monthly menstrual periods, and the body produces a lower level than the female hormone estrogen is responsible for the process of ovulation. Low estrogen has been shown to cause weight gain in animals and is almost certainly the reason why our bodies are changing shape. While women of childbearing age store fat in the lower body, after menopause, they put it in the stomach instead, like a man. This leads to a greater risk of heart disease.

At the same time, both men and women tend to find muscle turned into fat when they grow up, and your metabolism slows down. This means that if you do not adjust your eating habits will probably find that your weight increases. A person of 60 just does not need many calories as a 40.

With the estrogen hormone therapy is sometimes prescribed to control menopausal symptoms. Many women will be surprised to hear that research has shown that hormone therapy does not cause weight gain. Some women experience bloating and water retention in the early stages of hormone therapy but this is usually temporary and they do not have any fat. Hormone therapy can reduce the risk of heart disease by preventing changes in body fat storage around the abdomen and lower cholesterol. hormone therapy has been associated with increased risk of breast cancer in some studies. If you find that you get your weight around the menopause, there are some things you can do.

1. Eat a healthy, low-fat diet with lots of fiber, avoiding sugar.
2. Take regular exercise. When people get older their physical activity levels naturally drop. Work often becomes less physically, there are no kids running after, we took off less active and do things more slowly. 30 minutes of physical activity every day is going to help to offset this effect