Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä’s Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences have uncovered a significant connection between eating behaviors, physical activity, and the accumulation of harmful body fat in post-menopausal women. Their findings, published in Scientific Reports, suggest that disordered eating behaviors combined with low physical activity are major contributors to increased visceral fat and the risk of low-grade inflammation—a condition that raises the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
As women approach menopause, their body fat distribution shifts due to decreasing estrogen levels. The fat that was once concentrated in the hips and thighs begins to accumulate around the abdomen as visceral fat, which is linked to chronic inflammation. This change, which escalates after menopause, can substantially increase the risk of metabolic diseases and cardiovascular problems.
The study aimed to explore the relationship between health behaviors—such as sleep, eating, and physical activity—and the onset of low-grade inflammation. Disordered eating behaviors, such as restrictive dieting and a distorted understanding of body image, were found to exacerbate the accumulation of visceral fat. In turn, this contributed to heightened inflammation levels and increased risk of metabolic disease.
Hannamari Lankila, a doctoral researcher at the University, explained, “As we anticipated, a higher amount of visceral fat was strongly associated with low-grade inflammation. This fat secretes cytokines, which promote inflammation, potentially raising the risk of metabolic diseases.”
The research revealed that women who exhibited disordered eating behaviors and engaged in low physical activity showed greater levels of visceral fat, thus facing a higher risk of inflammation. However, when physical activity and eating behaviors were considered together, it was found that exercise could help reduce visceral fat, particularly among those without disordered eating patterns.
“The protective effect of exercise was notably weaker when an individual had eating-related difficulties,” Lankila noted. Surprisingly, sleep duration and quality did not appear to have a significant impact on this relationship, contradicting previous assumptions about the role of sleep in reducing inflammation.
While prior studies have highlighted the relationship between exercise, diet, and inflammation, this research is among the first to examine the combined impact of these behaviors during menopause. Given that women live, on average, more than a third of their lives post-menopause, this period becomes crucial in terms of health risks, particularly cardiovascular and metabolic conditions.
The findings emphasize that adopting healthy eating behaviors alongside regular physical activity can be especially effective in combating the buildup of visceral fat and reducing the risk of chronic inflammation, particularly after menopause.
“It’s important to remember that even after menopause, harmful visceral fat accumulation can be slowed or reduced through proper exercise and eating habits, helping to prevent the onset of related diseases,” Lankila concluded.
The study was part of the larger EsmiRs project, which ran from 2018 to 2022 at the Gerontology Research Center (GEREC) at the University of Jyväskylä. The research involved women aged 51 to 59 from Central Finland and included assessments of physical activity, eating behaviors, sleep patterns, and other factors such as age, income level, and menopausal hormone therapy use.
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