Gaining weight around the waist is a common issue for many women going through perimenopause and postmenopause.
Along with this weight gain, levels of the hormone estrogen naturally decrease after menopause. Together, these changes are linked to problems like reduced insulin sensitivity and more inflammation in the body.
Now, a new study published in the journal Menopause suggests that belly fat may also increase the risk of cognitive decline—that is, problems with memory and thinking.
This type of fat, called visceral adipose tissue, builds up around internal organs like the stomach, intestines, and liver. It has already been linked to health issues like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and even Alzheimer’s disease.
When estrogen levels drop after menopause, and visceral fat increases, the body produces more inflammation. Researchers believe this may play a key role in developing both metabolic and brain-related conditions.
That’s why they’re interested in simple ways to detect this type of fat buildup early. One common method is the waist-to-hip ratio, which is the size of your waist compared to your hips. A higher ratio means more fat stored around the abdomen.
The researchers behind this study wanted to learn more about how central body fat and hormone therapy relate to brain function after menopause.
Past studies on hormone therapy and brain health gave mixed results, depending on how old the women were when they started treatment. So in this study, researchers looked specifically at women between the ages of 42 and 58 who were in early postmenopause—less than three years since their last natural period.
Over 700 women took part in the study. They were placed into three groups: one received oral estrogen therapy, another received estrogen through the skin (transdermal estradiol), and the last group received a placebo. The researchers used each woman’s waist-to-hip ratio to estimate how much central fat they had.
At the beginning of the study, women with higher waist-to-hip ratios did worse on all types of thinking and memory tests. Over four years, they showed more problems with visual attention and executive function—the brain’s ability to manage tasks and stay focused.
However, the researchers did not find that body fat levels changed how effective hormone therapy was when compared with the placebo.
The results suggest that belly fat may be a clear early warning sign of cognitive decline in women after menopause, even in those who do not have major heart or blood pressure problems. That means brain health should be checked even in women who seem otherwise healthy.
Dr. Monica Christmas, an expert with The Menopause Society, said it’s very important to take steps early to prevent health problems later. She explained that many women are surprised by the changes in their bodies and minds during and after menopause, and once these changes appear, they can be hard to reverse.
She recommends starting healthy habits—like better diet and exercise—before menopause begins. Doing so can protect both brain and body health for many years to come.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about the likely cause of Alzheimer’s disease , and new non-drug treatment that could help prevent Alzheimer’s.
For more health information, please see recent studies about diet that may help prevent Alzheimer’s, and results showing some dementia cases could be prevented by changing these 12 things.
The study is published in Menopause.
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