Physical Activity can Help Regain Muscle Loss During Menopausal Transition

Loss of estrogen affects muscles and leads to a decline in muscle mass. But, physical activity is positively linked to the maintenance of muscle mass during the menopausal transition in women, finds a new study.

During midlife, women encounter hormonal changes due to the menopausal transition. A decrease, particularly in estradiol, has been hypothesized to cause loss of muscle mass. But a new study reports that physical activity in all forms could help maintain muscle mass in midlife. The findings of the study are published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.//

A large study of middle-aged women shows that age-related changes in skeletal muscle are part of everyday life for women in their fifties. During this time, women transition from perimenopause to postmenopause, and the production of estrogen ceases.

Dealing with Menopause Symptoms Through Lifestyle Changes
You can deal with menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, weight gain and forgetfulness by making simple lifestyle changes.

‘Hormonal changes during menopause reduce muscle mass, but physical activity might slow the decrement. ’

"We already knew that estrogen has a role in the regulation of muscle properties," says doctoral student Hanna-Kaarina Juppi. "By following the hormonal status, measuring many aspects of muscles, and by taking into consideration the simultaneous chronological aging of women going through the menopausal transition, we were able to show that the decrease of muscle mass takes place already in early postmenopause."

In the current study, muscle size was measured in the perimenopausal state and right after entering postmenopause, when menstruation had permanently stopped. Women were, on average 51-and-a-half years old at the beginning of the study and 53 years old at the final measurements, so the average duration of menopausal transition was one-and-a-half years. The time it takes a woman to go through menopause is unique: in this study, it varied from less than six months to more than three years. During this time, the decrease in muscle mass was on average one percent.

Juppi continues: "The observed change does not seem like much, but what is meaningful is that the decline happens in a short period of time and can have an impact on metabolism, as muscles are important regulators of whole-body metabolism."

Perimenopause - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
Perimenopause is a transition phase that lasts until menopause. The low estrogen levels during this phase cause irregular periods and early menopause symptoms such as hot flashes. This phase may last from a few months to years.

Physical activity was found to be positively associated with the maintenance of muscle mass during the menopausal transition. Women who were more active had higher muscle mass before and after menopause compared to the less active women. It seems that even though menopause alone decreases muscle mass, staying physically active throughout middle age can help women to slow the change.

The current study was conducted in the Gerontology Research Center and Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and is part of a larger study, Estrogenic Regulation of Muscle Apoptosis (ERMA), led by Academy Research Fellow Eija Laakkonen. More than a thousand women between the ages of 47 and 55 from the Jyväskylä region participated in the ERMA study. At the beginning of the study, 381 of them were perimenopausal, while 234 reached early postmenopause during the study. The research was funded by the Academy of Finland and the European Commission.

What is Menopause?
Menopause is defined as the state of permanent cessation of menstrual cycles (periods) for 12-months.

Source-Eurekalert

Diet for Menopause - Foods to Eat & Avoid
Menopause is a stage when hormone levels decline in middle aged women. Right food choices combined with regular exercise is the key to alleviate menopausal symptoms.