Why is cutting sugar important as a perimenopausal woman?

Day 3 of no sugar. I’m pleasantly surprised that I haven’t had nearly as many cravings for sugar as I’ve anticipated. I have candy and ice cream in my house (I have four kids after all!) but so far so good! I’m eating lots of protein and quality carbohydrates (lots of veggies!), so I think that’s helping too! If you’re giving up sugar right now, you can do it!

Today I decided to write a little bit about why women that are perimenopausal or menopausal need to pay attention to how much sugar they consume.  Many women do not realize that insulin and estrogen have a relationship with one another.  You may be saying to yourself, but I’m not a diabetic, what does insulin have to do with me?  Insulin is a hormone that is released by the pancreas when our bodies detect glucose (sugar from carbohydrates) in our bloodstream.  If we do not have enough insulin available to process all the glucose in our bloodstream (because we’re eating unhealthy foods filled with sugar/glucose), the body will convert that excess glucose to glycogen (stored in the liver) or if our livers are overwhelmed with glycogen, then our bodies will store that excess glucose as fat.  The insulin is like a key for our cells that unlocks them, allowing them to access the glucose from the bloodstream so that the glucose is immediately put to use instead of being stored as fat.  If there isn’t enough insulin to unlock the cells, our bodies will actually think they are starving.  So the body will not want to release the fat stores– now we’re gaining weight.  

How does estrogen play into this? Estrogen can help with satiety (that feeling of being satisfied after having a meal).  However, estrogen levels begin to decline with age during perimenopause.  Unfortunately, many women continue to eat food at their previous levels because while our brains are sending signals that we are full, our estrogen levels are low so we no longer FEEL full.  Additionally, peri-menopausal women tend to store their fat in their midsection around our organs.  This in turn prompts our bodies to produce a hormone called adipokines (which in turn increases insulin resistance and inflammation).  We now have a perfect storm set up for developing heart disease.  Not good.

So what can a perimenopausal woman do?

1.  Take your time while eating.  It takes time for our brains to send messages of satiety that we are full.  Chew each bite thoughtfully.  Stop eating before you feel full.  Give your body time to catch up.
2. Give your pancreas a break by reducing or eliminating sugar from your diet.  This will help combat insulin resistance.
3. Support your liver function (more on this to come).