We normally associate changes in appetite with mental or physical illness, or perhaps pregnancy. We don’t tend to make the connection when it comes to menopause. Believe it or not, the hormonal changes that cause menopause can actually affect our appetite. An increase in appetite is not at all uncommon. As a result, many of us find that the pounds start to add up and our jeans start to get a little tighter. Why does this happen and is it due to menopause itself or just the natural aging process?
Hormones known as ghrelin and leptin have a strong effect on your appetite. It’s these hormones that alert you when you’re hungry and let you know when you’ve had enough to eat. Ghrelin increases your appetite, making you feel more hungry and slowing down your metabolism. Leptin almost does the opposite, decreasing appetite and fast-tracking calorie burning. In a study of the different stages of menopause, it was found that peri-menopausal women had the highest levels of ghrelin, therefore the highest increase in appetite.
Loss of appetite doesn’t tend to occur as often in menopausal women. When it does it can often be down to stress and anxiety. If you’re suffering quite considerably with other symptoms of menopause, such as hot flushes or mood swings, stress might be the result.
However, stress can easily occur from every day struggles, either financially, with family relationships, or concerns over health. Trying to reduce stress, in this case, would resolve the loss of appetite.
Research was carried out on monkeys to assess appetite levels on those with diminishing estrogen and progesterone. It was discovered that food intake increased by 67% in those with lower level hormones and after six weeks, the monkeys had gained 5% in body weight. The research was carried out by Oregon health and science university in Portland and presented at the society for neuroscience. The study also showed that a few lucky primates did not gain any weight, despite the increase in food intake. We know this to be true or humans too. We all have that one friend who can eat as much as they like yet never gains any weight. For most of those though, we’ll need to keep a close eye on our food intake during this time.
It seems that menopause throws so much at us. There is an awful lot to think about, watching our weight, reducing stress, trying to improve our sleep, exercise and eat right etc,. It becomes almost impossible to be the ideal version of yourself. That’s where LaBalance comes in. LaBalance is a natural device that works by re-balancing your ANS (autonomic nervous system) to address symptoms of menopause. In a study, the LaBalance was proven effective for 71% of women with up to 24 different symptoms. Wearing the LaBalance every day means you can relax about your symptoms as they reduce or disappear completely. This gives you time to work on yourself and look after your health without suffering.