The menopause it is a condition that affects half of the world population, but it is still very little talked about. According to a recent study, 78% of Italian women are not informed about the consequences weight gain in menopause it can have on the state of health, yet only 28% are not interested in controlling the extra kg.
From the survey conducted in three different countries: Italy, France and the United Kingdom, it emerged that 62% of women over the age of 50 cite weight gain as the first concern of menopause. In Italy 48% of women in the aforementioned age group declare their weight as the first reason for dissatisfaction, followed by the change in physical fitness, only in third place dissatisfaction with their financial or health situation. And 4 out of 5 women experience symptoms both before and after the actual disappearance of the menstrual flow. Indeed, 1 in 10 women accuse menopause for over 12 years.
We asked the Alessandra Freda, Allurion nutritionistto explain the reasons for weight gain in menopause and how we can counteract the extra pounds.
What are the signs to understand that you are entering menopause?
First of all, we must bear in mind that menopause is not a pathology, but a physiological moment in a woman’s life that coincides with the end of her fertility. Indicatively, the average age at which menopause is entered is between 45 and 55 years. However, there may be cases of early or late menopause. Generally it is associated with an irregularity of the menstrual cycle, and then comes to complete absence. This phase brings with it some ailments, such as excessive sweating or hot flashes, because there is a decrease in estrogen that generates these moments often poorly tolerated by women.
In the presence of these disorders and irregularities of the cycle, what should be done?
You must contact your gynecologist who, after a visit, will prescribe the necessary investigations.
Among the disorders of menopause, there is weight gain: why do we tend to gain weight?
Often it happens to gain weight in menopause, because it is physiological that in this passage of life there is a reduction of the basal metabolism of about 10%, this means that about 10% less of the basic energies, not related to activity, are consumed. physical, because the basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy we need to maintain our vital functions. With menopause there is a 10% reduction, so I spend less during the day. This, if perhaps associated with a non-change in diet, can lead to weight gain: consumption less, but more the same as before and therefore the risk of gaining weight. Furthermore, if in the fertile age the fat accumulates on the thighs and hips, in the menopause it accumulates in the abdominal, ie visceral, level. Although the first is also to be fought, in the second case, in addition to having an anti-aesthetic effect, it has a more important clinical aspect, because it is the most dangerous fat, as it is more inflammatory and leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is important to prepare for the arrival of menopause, keeping your weight under control even in previous years. It is about preventing weight gain before menopause, thus reducing the effects that can result from this stage of life.
What dietary advice does he give to women who are going through menopause and which to women who are already menopause?
The best way to eat is the one that belongs to the Mediterranean diet. We must learn to eat well, to know the foods and to combine them correctly within a meal and during the day. There is no food that must be demonized or absolutely eliminated but the difference between daily and occasional must be made. In everyday life it is a question of consuming fresh products, main courses of meat, fish, eggs, cheeses, seasonal fruit, cereals, bread, pasta, wholemeal pasta, barley, rice. Then if every now and then a dessert, a glass of wine or a salty whim may happen, nothing happens. The important thing is to have clear ideas about everyday life.
From the point of view of physical activity, is there any recommended discipline in menopause?
In fact, it is important to move regularly and regularly. It is important to identify a structured physical activity that can be the gym, swimming pool, pilates, brisk walking that lasts at least an hour, at least three times a week and this in a constant and regular way over time.
Where there are difficulties in losing weight, there are other techniques to act on weight gain, such as those proposed by Allurion: can you explain us?
Allurion is a medical device that consists of a real intragastric balloon. Its main feature is that it does not require anesthesia, sedation, endoscopy or surgery to be placed. But the patient on a normal day, awake and conscious, has to swallow a capsule, which contains a balloon all curled up on itself, drinking some water. The capsule thus passes into the esophagus and reaches the stomach. Everything is carried out in complete safety, because plates are made to monitor the progress of the capsule. Then you start to inflate the capsule when it is in the stomach and in this way it is transformed into a real balloon that contains about 550 ml of physiological solution that weighs about 1/2 kilo. The job of the balloon is to take up space, so that there is less for food. It thus helps to control the quantities of food that are introduced, because one feels full. The other action it performs is to ensure that the stomach is never empty, because for 4 months the balloon remains in the stomach. Therefore, reduce the sense of hunger.
Another feature of the balloon is that after 16 weeks, that is, after 4 months, the valve on the surface of the balloon, which gradually degrades, opens. The content, that is the physiological solution, pours into the stomach, as if we had made a big drink. What remains is the casing, a sort of food film, which is expelled naturally, through the feces.
After these four months, does the solution resolve or should the intervention be repeated?
It is not the rule to have to repeat it but it can be repeated. In the sense that there are no weight restrictions to use the ball, obviously I have to find myself in an overweight situation. It can be repositioned for a longer program if necessary. Otherwise, follow-up visits and all follow-up work continue even if the balloon is gone. The balloon lasts 4 months, the entire program 6, but there are no standard times, it depends on the needs and requirements of the individual patients.
The interesting aspect of this device is, in addition to the ball, the possibility of making a real digital follow-up. Together with the balloon, a scale is delivered that is at the patient’s home and a watch, a smartwatch that monitors all the data, such as the number of steps, the quality of sleep, the heart rate, and there is a real-time sharing with the professional who follows the patient.