Increasing belly fat in females can be the root cause of a wide variety of health risks. These can range from high blood pressure and sleep problems to heart disease, diabetes, and many more. 1
Hormonal belly fat in females is usually caused due to low oestrogen levels in the body. As a woman gets older, hormonal imbalances cause weight gain around the abdominal (belly) area, even when the woman is not overweight.
Other causes of hormonal belly fat include an unhealthy diet, sleep disturbances, genetic factors, and ageing. Therefore, eating a balanced diet, managing your stress levels, staying physically active, and fixing your sleeping schedule are some great ways to reduce hormonal belly fat.
Do you know?
- Data collected in 2016 showed that 44% of adults (on average) were overweight or obese across the globe. Among these, more than 70% of people belonged to low-income countries or developing countries (middle-income countries). 2
- According to a research paper published in 2023, abdominal obesity (or belly fat) was found to be more common in females than in males in India. Likewise, 40% of females in India have belly fat. On the other hand, only 12% of males suffer from this problem.
- The research also concluded that at least 50% of women who were over the age of 30-49 had abdominal obesity. 3
Does Hormonal Imbalance Cause Weight Gain?
Hormones are chemical messengers that affect almost every bodily function, ranging from hunger to metabolism. Because of their impact on your appetite, they also have a crucial role to play in your body weight.
Likewise, an increase or decrease in some hormones does have the potential to make you gain hormonal belly fat, resulting in weight gain. 4
Here is a list of hormones whose imbalance can result in weight fluctuations:
- Insulin: Responsible for managing your blood sugar levels after eating
- Leptin: A fullness hormone
- Ghrelin: A hunger hormone
- Cortisol: A stress hormone that leads to weight gain in high levels
- Oestrogen: The primary female sex hormone
- Neuropeptide Y: An appetite-stimulating hormone
- GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide-1): A fullness hormone
- CCK (Cholecystokinin): A fullness hormone
- Peptide YY: An appetite-decreasing hormone
Among these hormonal imbalances in women, particularly those related to oestrogen and cortisol levels, affect weight gain. You can take a female hormonal profile test to get an idea about your hormonal levels and make changes accordingly for better health.
What Causes an Increase in Belly Fat?
Not eating a healthy diet, age-related issues (e.g., menopause in the case of women), lack of sleep, and the side effects of some medicines are the general causes of belly fat in females and males.
1. Unhealthy Eating Habits
The food you eat is a major deciding factor behind the release and regulation of the hormones in your body. So, eating a lot, not eating enough, and consuming too many fats and calories can all cause hormonal belly fat.
High-Calorie Intake
Having a sedentary lifestyle in which your calorie intake is high but you don't do enough exercise to burn down those calories increases your chances of weight gain due to hormonal imbalance. 5
Diet Rich in Trans Fats
Trans fats are artificial fats. These are usually a part of the cooking process for most of the processed food items that are currently available in the market.
Here are why trans fats are not only very dangerous for your long-term health but can also be responsible for hormonal belly fat:
- They are high in calories and fat
- They increase bad cholesterol (LDL)
- They put you at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and several other heart disorders
Stress Eating
When you are too stressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol. This hormone gives birth to unhealthy food cravings. As a result, your urge to eat tasty but unhealthy food that is rich in carbohydrates and fats increases. It ultimately becomes the cause of belly fat in both females and males.
That is why, if you want to reduce hormonal belly fat, it is best to minimise the intake of the following food items—
- Cookies
- French fries
- Soda
- Packed fruit juices
- Other processed goods
2. Increasing Age and Menopause
Your body is like a machine. The more it is used, the more it wears out. That's why, as you get older, your body becomes less efficient at processing food.
Because of this, the following changes have been observed:
- A decrease in muscle mass
- Slow metabolism
- Slow burning of calories
Even though you can still try to eat as healthy as possible, your body is not capable of making the most of the nutrients it receives.
Apart from this, ageing also results in a hormonal imbalance, which can cause weight gain. This is especially true for older women who are heading towards menopause. It usually happens in women aged between 40-60 years because of the following:
- Decreased oestrogen secretion
- Loss of muscle mass
- Overeating
All of these factors contribute to the accumulation of hormonal belly fat.
3. Lack of Sleep
Staying awake, whether it is due to stress-related, work-related, or personal reasons, results in overeating. It makes you crave comforting foods that might be tasty but also high in calories and carbs. 6
Another reason for weight gain due to a lack of sleep is hormonal imbalances related to cortisol. When you are too stressed, the secretion of cortisol (a stress hormone) in your body increases. Excess cortisol causes hormonal belly fat.
Lack of sleep is, therefore, one of the most common causes of belly fat in both males and females.
4. Use of Some Medicines
Belly fat, whether it is hormonal or non-hormonal, can happen as a side effect of medications. While some medicines can make you gain weight all across your body, others might only result in abdominal weight gain (belly fat).
Examples of such medications include the following 7:
- Diabetes drugs
- Antidepressants
- Steroids
- Migraine Meds
- Beta-blockers
- Antihistamines
- Anti-epilepsy drugs
- Antipsychotics
Among these, beta-blockers are the main drugs that cause a direct increase in fat around your belly.
Signs of Hormonal Weight Gain
Weight gain that results in hormonal belly fat is usually caused by changes in metabolism.
Metabolism refers to the set of chemical reactions in your body that convert the food you eat into energy. There are many hormones involved in metabolism. Hormonal imbalances, therefore, affect metabolism and cause the following symptoms:
- Decreased or increased heart rate
- Fatigue (tiredness or feeling sleepy)
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Extreme thirst
- Frequent urination
- Dry skin
- Coarse hair
- Decreased tolerance towards high and low temperatures (feeling abnormally sweaty or abnormally cold)
- Unexplained weight loss
That is why, when there is a hormonal imbalance, your metabolism gets negatively affected, resulting in weight gain. 8
A hormone imbalance test list can help you identify the severity of these symptoms. Following this, your doctor can let you know what steps to take next to get rid of hormonal belly fat.
How To Reduce Hormonal Belly Fat?
Taking a healthy diet, eating in small portions, staying physically active, and indulging in stress-relieving activities are some excellent ways to reduce hormonal belly fat.
1. Have A Balanced Diet
As already mentioned above, a high calorie and fat intake is a direct cause of belly fat in both males and females. That is why it is essential to eliminate certain food items and add healthier options to your diet to reduce hormonal belly fat.
What to eat—
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Whole grains
- Other plant-based products
- Fish (a lean source of protein)
- Low-fat milk products
- Nuts
- Certain vegetable oils
- Food items containing mild to moderate quantities of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (you can read the packaging labels to know this)
What NOT to eat:
- Processed meats
- Meat that has saturated fats
- Dairy products rich in fats
- Cheese (high-fat content)
- Butter (high-fat content)
- Sugary drinks and beverages
What you eat is important, but how much you eat is even more important. Likewise, even when you are eating healthy food, if you are consuming it in a high quantity, that can be a cause of belly fat.
Therefore, you must try to eat smaller portions in one meal. For example, let us say you have a habit of having 2 plates of rice in one go. You can bring this down to 1 plate per meal to decrease your calorie intake. This will help you reduce hormonal belly fat when practiced regularly.
2. Stay Physically Active
Regular exercise can help most healthy adults get rid of hormonal belly fat naturally. Likewise, moderate aerobic activities and strength training exercises are some of the best methods to reduce belly fat that has been gained due to hormone imbalance.
Here are some tips on how you can do this:
- Brisk walking for at least 20 minutes a day
- Doing vigorous aerobic activity for at least 10 minutes a day
- Strength training activities at least twice a week
If you have specific weight loss goals (along with reducing hormonal belly fat), you will need to exercise more often. You can also try high-intensity interval training, which is also called HIIT, as it has shown positive results for many people trying to get rid of hormonal belly fat.
Remember that it is not possible to completely kick out hormonal belly fat overnight. You will require regular effort (through exercising) and eating a more nutritious diet for long-term benefits and healthy weight loss.
3. Manage Your Stress Levels
High levels of stress lead to sleep disturbances and encourage the release of certain hormones in your body.
Among all the hormones that are released when you are stressed, cortisol and adrenaline have the most role to play in your body weight.
These hormones activate the 'fight or flight' mechanism. As a result, your body stays in an alert state of mind until the reason for your stress fades out. 9
Even though the release of cortisol is an essential response of your body during times of stress, excess amounts of it can lead to the following problems:
- Sleep disturbances
- Hormonal belly fat gain
- High blood pressure
- Low energy levels
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
Hence, here are some methods that can help you reduce hormonal belly fat that occurs because of high stress levels:
- Hobbies: Get indulged in activities that bring you peace of mind. Examples include the following—
- Spending some alone time
- Reading a book
- Listening to your favourite music
- Meditation: Meditation is known to bring down stress. You can try yoga or practice breathing techniques to cope with anxiety and depression.
- Socialise: Spending time with friends and family is one excellent way to deal with stress. Having good quality conversations is known to improve mood and hence, decrease the power of your stressors over you.
Risk Factors and Possible Complications of Hormonal Belly Fat
Reducing your hormonal belly fat is essential, as it comes with a lot of risk factors. These include:
- Asthma
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Insulin resistance
- Colorectal cancer
- Dementia
Similarly, obesity, whether it is just around the abdominal area (hormonal belly fat) or throughout your body, has a lot of complications. Examples include:
- Heart disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- Digestive problems
- Liver disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Increased risk of cancer 10
Diet Chart to Reduce Hormonal Belly Fat
The below tables contain a list of hormone-balancing foods, including when to eat and avoid them to reduce hormonal belly fat. 11
Phase 1: Detox (2 Weeks)
Phase 2: Glyci-Med (2 Weeks)
Phase 3: Maintenance
Treatment And Management
Here are some tips that can help you treat and manage your hormonal belly fat effectively:
- Do not have a sedentary (lazy) lifestyle. Get enough physical activity throughout the day.
- Avoid smoking because it not only leads to weight gain but also has numerous other health risks.
- Eat food items that contain a good quantity of probiotics (healthy gut bacteria). Research has shown that foods like yoghurt and kimchi can help to get rid of your hormonal belly fat.
To summarise, regardless of the cause of belly fat in both females and males, it is possible to treat and manage it using the above-mentioned methods.
Although you can make lifestyle changes and exercise more often to reduce hormonal belly fat, taking an online full body checkup can help you identify if your belly fat has any serious underlying health risks. It is essential to identify the complications on time and get treatment accordingly.
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