How Menopause Affects Your Metabolic Health — And What You Can Do About It

As you enter perimenopause and move through to post menopause, your body is going through more than just hormonal changes — your metabolism is shifting in significant ways. And these changes can leave you feeling confused, frustrated, or even betrayed by your body.

Menopause is a powerful time to take charge of your health. As hormones shift, some changes in the body — like increased belly fat, changes in cholesterol, blood pressure, or blood sugar — can raise your risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

But here’s the good news: these changes aren’t inevitable, and you have more control than you think. With the right nutrition, movement, and support, you can protect your heart, boost your energy, and feel stronger and more in tune with your body than ever before.

Understanding what’s happening is the first step to taking back control of your health.

Estrogen isn’t just a reproductive hormone — it plays a powerful role in your metabolic health, with receptors found throughout your body: in your muscles, brain, gut, bones, liver and fat tissue. As estrogen levels decline during the menopause transition, a ripple effect impacts how your body stores fat, manages energy, regulates blood sugar, and maintains muscle and bone strength.

4 Key Metabolic Shifts in Menopause

1. Fat Storage Shifts to the Belly

In your reproductive years, estrogen helps direct fat to the hips and thighs. But with declining estrogen, more fat is stored around your middle — a more dangerous type known as visceral fat, which surrounds your organs and increases inflammation. This change is strongly linked with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

2. Your Body Becomes less sensitive to insulin

Insulin is the hormone that helps move sugar from your bloodstream into your cells for energy. Post menopause, the body has a harder time managing blood sugar after eating — not just because of age, but mainly due to hormonal changes. This can cause fatigue, sugar cravings, and gradual weight gain (often 1–2 kg per year).

3. You Start Losing Muscle and Bone

From your 30s, you naturally lose 3–8% of muscle each decade — a process that speeds up after menopause. Bone density also begins to decline by about 1% per year from your 40s onward. This affects your strength, stability, and overall energy levels. Without the right nutrition and exercise, you may feel like your body is “slowing down” in every way.

4. Your Cholesterol May Climb

Many women are surprised to find that their cholesterol levels increase during perimenopause and postmenopause — even if their diet hasn’t changed. That’s because estrogen helps regulate cholesterol metabolism, and its decline removes this protection. The risk of heart disease rises significantly after menopause.

You Deserve to Thrive — Not Just Survive — Through Menopause

What the Latest Research Says

The 2022 ZOE PREDICT study, one of the largest in-depth nutrition studies to date, confirmed that menopause has a unique and measurable impact on how women metabolise food, store fat, and respond to blood sugar spikes — even when lifestyle factors are similar to premenopausal women. This means your body truly is changing — and it’s not your fault.

But with the right guidance, you can support your metabolism, prevent further health decline, and feel better in your body again.

This Is Where I Come In...

As an Accredited Practising Dietitian specialising in menopause, I work with women just like you every day to help:

• Improve insulin sensitivity and energy levels

• Support muscle and bone strength with targeted nutrition

• Body composition change – increase muscle mass, decrease abdominal fat.

• Improve cholesterol levels and reduce heart disease risk

• Rebuild confidence in your body

• Clear, simple guidelines to follow to optimize your nutrition – these guidelines are specific to women from peri to post menopause.

  
  

There’s no calorie counting, no rigid dieting, and no “one-size-fits-all” advice. Just real food, science-backed strategies, and compassionate support — tailored to your unique needs.

The menopause transition is a powerful time to refocus on your health. With the right support, you can feel strong, energised, and in control of your wellbeing again.

Ready to take the next step?

Book a consultation today and let’s build a plan that works with your body — not against it.