Personalised nutrition support during menopause

Could blood sugar levels be playing a bigger role than you realise during menopause? As oestrogen levels decline, we become less sensitive to the hormone insulin.  This means the body may need to produce more insulin to manage the same amount of carbohydrate than it did ten or twenty years ago.

Insulin is a storage hormone. When levels remain elevated, it can become harder to access stored body fat and easier to gain weight, particularly around the middle. This is one reason why eating habits that served you well for decades suddenly seem to yield different results!

The answer is rarely to eliminate carbohydrates completely (for many reasons that we can explore later), but understanding how your body responds to different types and amounts can be an important piece of the puzzle.

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Has your metabolism really slowed down?

You may have been told that your metabolism has slowed down due to age or menopause, but the reality is often more nuanced.

From our 40’s onwards, we naturally begin to lose muscle mass unless we actively work to maintain it. Muscle is metabolically active tissue and plays an important role in blood sugar regulation, energy expenditure and overall metabolic health.

At the same time, sleep quality often deteriorates, activity patterns may change and recovery becomes less efficient. What feels like a “slow metabolism” may actually be the combined effect of several small changes occurring at the same time. Understanding which of these factors may be most relevant to you can help identify opportunities for meaningful change.

A snail moving across the ground as a metaphor for slowing metabolism

Could your genes be making weight management more challenging?

Not everyone responds to food in the same way.

Research has identified a number of genetic variants that can influence appetite regulation, blood sugar control, fat metabolism, metabolic rate and weight management. For example, variants within genes such as FTO may influence feelings of hunger and fullness, whilst TCF7L2 has been linked to blood sugar regulation and diabetes risk. Other genes may influence how efficiently we use fats as fuel or how readily we store excess energy.

Having these variants does not mean weight gain is inevitable, but they may help explain why two people can follow similar lifestyles and experience very different outcomes. This is one of the reasons I use nutrigenomic testing as part of a personalised nutrition approach.

DNA helix made out of fruit

Is stress making things harder than they need to be?

Periods of prolonged stress, poor sleep and inadequate recovery can influence cortisol levels and affect appetite, food cravings, blood sugar regulation and body composition.

The body does not distinguish particularly well between the stress of a demanding job, poor sleep, caring responsibilities or chronic under-fuelling.

Sometimes the most effective strategy is not to cut calories further, but to ensure the body is receiving the nutrients, protein and energy it needs in the right proportions for your life stage and activity, so that it can function optimally.

A balloon and a cactus as a metaphor for a stressful situation

Are your hormones the only thing worth investigating?

Many symptoms commonly attributed to menopause can also overlap with other issues.

Thyroid function, iron status, vitamin B12, folate, vitamin D, blood sugar regulation and gut health can all influence energy levels, mood, weight and overall wellbeing. For some of us, menopause may be the primary driver of symptoms. For others, it may simply be the point at which underlying issues that were previously compensated for begin to make themselves known.

This is why taking a broader view of health can often be more useful than focusing on hormones alone.

How personalised nutrition works

A jigsaw piece as a metaphor for exploring symptoms of menopause