Listen to this episode of Longevity by Design on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts
What if we told you that sugary foods aren't the only driver of insulin resistance? Many people attribute weight gain solely to a slowed metabolic rate, but the reality is that weight is influenced by dozens of other lifestyle factors.
The media often misrepresents the term ‘hormone balance,’ leaving women without adequate advice to address menopausal symptoms. In fact, certain foods can mitigate hot flashes, yet they are the same foods often torn apart by the media.
Insulin, weight management, hormone balance, and so much more are covered in today’s episode of Longevity by Design. Join Dr. Lovejoy and the InsideTracker team as they delve deep into the most common misconceptions surrounding hormone health, metabolic health, and weight gain.
Dr. Jennifer Lovejoy has spent her career focused on personalized nutrition and lifestyle behavior change. Dr. Lovejoy earned her PhD in Biological Psychology from Emory University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at Emory University School of Medicine. During her academic career, she was a professor of Diabetes at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center of LSU and served as Dean of the School of Nutrition and Exercise Science at Bastyr University. She’s a Past-President of the Obesity Society and has published over 90 peer-reviewed research papers. More recently, Dr. Lovejoy was Chief Translational Science Officer at Arivale, a scientific wellness startup integrating multi-omic data with behavioral coaching, and Head of Science at Seven.me, a digital health startup developing a behavioral AI platform. She currently runs Integral Science, LLC, a consulting company.
“Hormone imbalance” is a popular term, yet there is no scientific consensus on its definition. It typically refers to changes in a hormone level that causes it to become too low or too high for a healthy body. And because humans have over 50 hormones, hormone balance may be more complicated than meets the eye.
Dr. Lovejoy explains that hormone imbalance can be naturally experienced during a woman’s life or caused by external factors.
Hormone imbalances can present uniquely in individuals, depending on the specific hormone leading to the imbalance and personal health factors. Here are a few examples of hormones that commonly contribute to hormone imbalances and their associated symptoms:
Hormone balance is crucial for optimal healthspan, and certain lifestyle habits can promote hormone balance, or mitigate the side effects associated with hormone imbalance. Exercise can uniquely benefit hormone levels in women, according to Dr. Lovejoy. Here are two examples:
Estradiol
Too much estradiol can increase a woman’s risk for breast cancer. Regular exercise, particularly higher intensity exercise, helps to improve estradiol levels.
Cortisol
Exercise helps to manage cortisol, the stress hormone. Chronic stress can lead to elevated cortisol levels, making the transition into menopause much more difficult due to the interaction between cortisol, estradiol, and progesterone. Moderate exercise is a brilliant way to keep cortisol levels optimal, according to Dr. Lovejoy. "However, vigorous exercise can actually raise cortisol levels," she explains.
Estradiol is the primary form of estrogen in a woman’s body during her reproductive years. Estradiol is produced in the ovaries and helps to maintain the integrity of a woman’s eggs and uterine lining, aiding in pregnancy.
“Estradiol is just the most amazing hormone—it affects so many parts of the body,” she says. Dr. Lovejoy shares the top three timepoints at which a woman should measure her blood estradiol levels:
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is produced by the pituitary gland and causes the thyroid gland to secrete thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones are responsible for many important functions throughout the body. When TSH levels are imbalanced, the thyroid gland may secrete too much or too little thyroid hormone.
Measuring TSH levels can be especially insightful for women, as they are more prone to thyroid problems. In fact, Dr. Lovejoy shares that women are 5-8x more likely to have a thyroid problem compared to men. [1] While tracking TSH can be beneficial for everyone, Dr. Lovejoy explains it's particularly helpful for women to track this hormone during their 40s and perimenopausal years because the symptoms of thyroid hormone deficiency mimic the symptoms of menopause. “Many women experience fatigue, weight gain, trouble concentrating, brain fog, and hot flashes, which are very common symptoms of menopause. However, these are also symptoms of low thyroid levels. That’s why it's really important to understand what's causing the symptoms and not to just assume you’re feeling this way because of menopause,” she explains.
Weight gain and “waist gain” are common changes that occur during the menopause transition. Even for women who effectively managed their weight prior to menopause, hormonal changes during menopause can make it difficult for women to maintain their body weight.
Estradiol has a regulatory effect on both appetite and on metabolic rate. A premenopausal woman with higher levels of estradiol may have a maintained appetite because estradiol helps to increase and maintain metabolic rate. Estradiol declines with menopause and can contribute to weight gain. Dr. Lovejoy says being prepared is the best thing a woman can do to prevent or combat menopause-related weight gain. “In order to try to maintain a calorie balance, try adding a bit of additional physical activity to burn more calories. Adding more strength training can build muscle mass which will help boost basal metabolic rate a bit as well,” she says.
Dr. Lovejoy notes that “waist gain” or waist circumference can be challenging to maintain after menopause. This is primarily because estradiol and testosterone control where fat gets distributed. In premenopausal years, fat tends to be preferentially distributed in the hips and thighs, helping with pregnancy. During menopause, estradiol drops and testosterone increases, leading to fat accumulation in the abdomen and causing abdominal fat gain.
Every woman experiences perimenopause a bit differently. Dr. Lovejoy shares some of the hormonal changes associated with menopause and tips to manage menopausal symptoms.
Insulin is a hormone that allows the body to use glucose (sugar) as fuel or save it as energy. Insulin brings glucose into the cells to be stored and utilized by your liver, muscle, and fat tissue. As glucose enters your cells, blood glucose returns to its baseline level, and blood insulin levels follow suit. Insulin resistance occurs when your cells become less responsive to the hormone insulin, resulting in increased blood glucose levels. Women are more likely to become insulin resistant postmenopause, increasing their risk of developing prediabetes and diabetes.
To combat insulin resistance, Dr. Lovejoy recommends the following tips:
Dr. Lovejoy shares lifestyle tips for minimizing hot flashes. Every woman experiences hot flashes in a differing frequency and severity, so experimenting with various protocols can help women to understand what works best for their bodies. Here are three tips backed by science to manage hot flashes:
Did you know that the female microbiome changes after menopause? As a woman’s hormones decrease during menopause, the diversity of gut microbes decreases as well. Dr. Lovejoy’s tip to combat this decrease is to eat plenty of fiber, including whole food sources like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
Weight loss
It is difficult to lose weight, especially for individuals with obesity. There are many misconceptions around losing weight, two of which Dr. Lovejoy addresses in this episode.
Insulin resistance
One of the most common misperceptions about insulin is that insulin resistance is driven solely through excess carbohydrates and sugar consumption. This process isn’t quite so simple. Excess dietary fats also contribute to insulin resistance.
Metabolism encompasses all of the biochemical reactions that occur within your cells to sustain life. Metabolism determines how efficiently your body converts the food you eat into energy it can use. Prioritizing optimal metabolic health confers benefits like maintaining a healthy body weight, and improving energy levels, mood, and mental clarity.
Multiple hormones impact metabolic processes in the body.
Poor metabolic health impacts both healthspan and lifespan. Risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, can be attributed to poor metabolic health.
Similarly, obesity is a disorder of metabolism. “It's not as simple as people eating too much and exercising too little. It's a physiological state of abnormal metabolism that has genetic components, brain hormone components, body hormone components, and more,” explains Dr. Lovejoy. This is why obesity is a foundational cause of so many other diseases.
To close the episode, Dr. Lovejoy discusses insulin. She explains the major function of insulin in the body, its importance for metabolic health, and how tracking this hormone can be useful. Tune in to find out more!
Dr. Lovejoy’s top tip for improving health is to know yourself as best you can by tracking your health in all ways possible. She says your approach to health optimization is highly unique to you—you must know your body from the inside out to optimize anything going poorly. Some people need to improve their diet, others need to change or increase their exercise, and others have to work on stress management. Knowing your body and tracking yourself over time is the best way to optimize your health.
References:
1. American Thyroid Association