Body composition and cardiometabolic health across the menopause transition

• Published in: Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) Vol. 30; no. 1; pp. 14 - 27
• Main Authors: Marlatt, Kara L., Pitynski‐Miller, Dori R., Gavin, Kathleen M., Moreau, Kerrie L., Melanson, Edward L., Santoro, Nanette, Kohrt, Wendy M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-01-2022
• Subjects: Amenorrhea; Body Composition; Body fat; Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control; Classification; Energy Metabolism; Female; Hormones; Hot flash; Humans; Measurement techniques; Menopause; Menopause - metabolism; Menstruation; Ovaries; Perimenopause; Womens health; United States > US
• ISSN: 1930-7381; 1930-739X
• DOI: 10.1002/oby.23289

Every year, 2 million women reach menopause in the United States, and they may spend 40% or more of their life in a postmenopausal state. In the years immediately preceding menopause—known as the menopause transition (or perimenopause)—changes in hormones and body composition increase a woman’s overall cardiometabolic risk. In this narrative review, we summarize the changes in weight, body composition, and body fat distribution, as well as the changes in energy intake, energy expenditure, and other cardiometabolic risk factors (lipid profile, glucose metabolism, sleep health, and vascular function), that occur during the menopause transition. We also discuss the benefits of lifestyle interventions in women in the earlier stages of menopause before these detrimental changes occur. Finally, we discuss how to include perimenopausal women in research studies so that women across the life‐span are adequately represented.