Health Center - Menopause
If you've been asking, "Is it hot in here or is it me?" you've come to the right place. The months and years leading up to and following menopause can be bewildering at best, overwhelming at times. You've got questions. We’ve got answers.
Menopause Guide
Menopause Won't Spur Weight Gain, But May Boost Belly Fat: Review
Experts suggest women use menopause as motivation to take charge of their health
THURSDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Menopause does not cause weight gain, but it does increase belly fat, according to a new study.
"It is a myth that the menopause causes a woman to gain weight. It's really just a consequence of environmental factors and aging that cause that," study leader Susan Davis, a professor at Monash University in Australia, said in an International Menopause Society news release.
"But there is no doubt that the new spare tire many women complain of after menopause is real, and not a consequence of any changes they have made," Davis said. "Rather, this is the body's response to the fall in estrogen at menopause -- a shift of fat storage from the hips to the waist."
Davis and her colleagues reviewed available scientific findings on the issue, and their findings appear in the October issue of the journal Climacteric. The review was conducted by the International Menopause Society to mark World Menopause Day on Oct. 18.
