WHY YOU NEED TO THINK ABOUT MUSCLE LOSS IN PERIMENOPAUSE (AND HOW TO PREVENT IT)

Muscle loss impacts more than just your strength; it's about your long-term health, weight management, and the ability to stay active and independent as you age. Let’s talk about why you lose muscle mass at an accelerated rate in perimenopause and menopause, what it means for you, and how you can take action now to protect your muscle mass before menopause sets in.

THE ALARMING STATS: HOW MUCH MUSCLE ARE YOU REALLY LOSING?

Did you know that women can lose up to 8% of their muscle mass per decade after the age of 40? (And do you know why you need to care about that?)

During the perimenopausal years, this loss can accelerate dramatically. Research indicates that postmenopausal women experience a muscle mass decline at a rate of about 0.6% to 1% per year. Over a decade, this adds up to significant muscle loss, making it harder to maintain your strength and mobility, along with impacting your overall health.

WHY MUSCLE LOSS MATTERS: BEYOND JUST LOOKING TONED

Losing muscle isn’t just about physical strength — it impacts your metabolism, weight, body fat composition, overall health, and risk of chronic diseases.

Muscle tissue is metabolically active, meaning it burns more glucose than fat even when you’re at rest. As muscle mass decreases, your body’s baseline energy burn slows down, which can lead to weight gain, especially around the abdomen. This is particularly concerning during perimenopause when hormonal changes already predispose women to weight gain around the abdomen. Abdominal fat mass - visceral fat - impacts your hormone balance as it produces hormones like estrogen.

Lower muscle mass is also linked to an increased risk of developing chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Muscle tissue helps regulate blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity, so as muscle mass decreases, your body becomes less efficient at managing blood sugar, increasing your risk for these diseases.

Lastly, muscle loss affects bone health. Muscles and bones work together to keep your body strong and stable. As you lose muscle mass, your bones can weaken, as lower bone density is associated with lower muscle mass, usually because muscle building activities also help support and optimise bone density. This combo increases your risk of falls and fractures as you age — a significant threat to your longevity.

THE PERIMENOPAUSAL PERFECT STORM: WHY MUSCLE LOSS ACCELERATES

PERIMENOPAUSE HORMONE CHANGES

Perimenopause creates the perfect storm for muscle loss due to the decline in estrogen — a hormone crucial for maintaining muscle mass. As estrogen levels drop, muscle loss accelerates, leading to the rapid decline in muscle mass observed during menopause. Estrogen supports muscle regeneration.

INFLAMMATION

Inflammation accelerates muscle loss. As estrogen levels fall, inflammatory markers in the body tend to rise. Chronic inflammation can damage muscle tissue and hinder its ability to repair and regenerate. Combined with the natural aging process, which already predisposes you to muscle loss, this creates a double-edged sword that can lead to significant muscle deterioration.

MOVE IT OR LOSE IT

Lifestyle factors often exacerbate muscle loss. Many women become less active during perimenopause due to fatigue, joint pain, or simply feeling overwhelmed by their symptoms. This decrease in physical activity further accelerates muscle loss.

THAT OLD CHESTNUT - STRESS AND CORTISOL

Stress and our body’s hormone first responder to stress - cortisol - play a significant role in muscle health, especially as we age. Cortisol levels naturally increase from the third decade of life, reflecting the ongoing presence of stress as well as the impact of hormonal changes (declining progesterone) related to menopause that decrease our stress resilience. This is particularly important because cortisol is catabolic — it breaks down muscle tissue to provide the body with quick energy, a mechanism rooted in our "fight or flight" response.

While this response might have been helpful for our ancestors facing immediate physical threats, in our modern lives, chronic stress means cortisol is often elevated 24/7. This constant state of high cortisol not only increases fat storage, particularly around the abdomen, but also contributes to muscle loss. The muscle breakdown caused by cortisol can undermine your efforts to maintain strength and metabolic health during perimenopause.

NUTRITION

Additionally, poor nutrition, particularly insufficient protein intake, can worsen muscle degradation. Without the necessary building blocks, your body struggles to maintain muscle mass, making it even more critical to address these issues during perimenopause.

VITAMIN D

Living in Australia, we generally have ample access to sunlight, which helps our bodies produce vitamin D. However, the common practice of slip, slop, slap — using sunscreen and covering up — can reduce our ability to produce enough vitamin D naturally. This deficiency can significantly impact muscle mass development, especially as our hormones change during perimenopause.

Vitamin D is essential for the optimal functioning of the musculoskeletal system. It stimulates dietary calcium absorption, which is vital for bone health, and also plays a regulatory role in muscle function. Essentially, vitamin D acts like a hormone, with receptors in nearly every cell of the body, including muscle cells. It promotes protein synthesis and calcium transport within muscles, directly influencing muscle strength — a critical factor that often declines after 40.

THE IMPACT OF MUSCLE LOSS ON WEIGHT, AGING, AND OVERALL HEALTH

The consequences of muscle loss extend far beyond your physical strength, and capacity to carry your groceries. As muscle mass declines, your metabolic rate slows, making it harder to manage your weight. This can lead to a cycle where you gain fat, particularly visceral fat, which is associated with increased health risks. This type of fat is more metabolically and hormonally active and contributes to inflammation, further exacerbating the muscle loss process.

Muscle loss also impacts your ability to stay active and engaged in life. Tasks that were once easy, like walking up stairs or carrying groceries, can become more difficult. This decline in physical function can affect your quality of life, making it harder to maintain your independence as you age. Lack of activity compounds the muscle loss, which makes you less able to be active, and it becomes a vicious cycle that is hard to get out of.

THE ROLE OF PROTEIN, AMINO ACIDS, AND ANTIOXIDANTS IN COMBATING MUSCLE LOSS

PROTEIN AND AMINO ACID INTAKE:

As women approach menopause, maintaining muscle mass (let alone building it) becomes increasingly challenging due to changes in the body’s response to protein.

Older adults, including perimenopausal women, require higher protein intake—around 1.2 g/kg/day—to maintain muscle mass. However, many women consume less protein than needed, making it harder to build muscle mass, and exacerbating muscle loss. Additionally, anabolic resistance, where muscles don’t respond as effectively to your protein intake, becomes more common with age.

Leucine, a key amino acid, plays a crucial role in stimulating muscle protein synthesis. Foods rich in leucine — such as eggs, oats, beans, lentils, and seeds — are particularly important for older adults to help support muscle generation.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ANTIOXIDANTS:

Oxidative stress (from normal metabolism, and inflammation) contributes to muscle loss during aging, especially during perimenopause and menopause with the loss of progesterone and it’s anti-inflammatory effect.

Antioxidants are vital in protecting muscles from oxidative damage and improving muscle regeneration. Vitamins C and E, along with minerals like selenium and zinc, can help mitigate the effects of oxidative stress and support muscle health. A diet rich in vegetables, fruit, and animal proteins will easily provide these antioxidants.

PRACTICAL STRATEGIES TO PROTECT YOUR MUSCLES

EXERCISE:

Resistance training is one of the most effective ways to combat muscle loss. Incorporating weight lifting or body-weight exercises like push-ups, squats and planks into your routine at least twice a week can help maintain muscle mass. To build muscle mass, more than twice per week is recommended, and this is where "exercise snacking" — such as doing squats while waiting for the kettle to boil — can be really beneficial in helping you build muscle mass. The key is consistency, even if it’s just small bursts of activity throughout the day.

VITAMIN D:

One easily modifiable factor that plays a crucial role in muscle health is vitamin D. Given its importance in building and maintaining muscle and bone mass, it’s crucial to have your vitamin D levels tested, and assess your need to supplement. While it can be challenging to get this testing covered by Medicare in Australia, aiming for levels around 100 nmol/L is recommended, especially for maintaining muscle health.

If your levels are low, consider supplementation to ensure you're supporting your muscles effectively. Talk to someone experienced in nutritional medicine (eg naturopath or nutritionist) for a good quality supplement (HINT: that is never caltrate!) and supplementation routine (HINT: the 1 capsule/day that your doctor may recommend will never get your levels up over Winter).

REDUCING CORTISOL AND STRESS

Reducing stress and, consequently, cortisol levels is crucial for preserving muscle mass. Particularly in perimenopause and menopause when the decline in progesterone leaves us with lowered stress resilience. AKA we are more reactive to the stressors in our life.

One of the most effective ways to build resilience against stress over the long term is through consistent self-care. Prioritising self-care practices, such as eating nourishing foods, staying hydrated, and taking quiet time for yourself, can make a significant difference. Incorporating gentle movement, avoiding alcohol, sugar, and over-caffeinating, and ensuring you get quality, restorative sleep all contribute to a balanced, less stressed state.

Spending time with friends, enjoying safe sun exposure, and engaging in activities that bring you joy are also powerful ways to nurture your well-being. By focusing on these self-care habits, you not only protect your muscle mass but also enhance your overall health and vitality during this stage of life.

NUTRITION:

Your muscles need high-quality protein to grow and repair, so it’s essential to get enough from your diet. Aim for a variety of protein sources, including meats, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, and plant-based options like beans and lentils. Focus on an anti-inflammatory diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats to support muscle health and overall well-being.

An easy way to do this is with the nutrition plan and meals from the PerimenoGO program. They are designed to be rich in anti-oxidants, protein and the amino acid leucine, to help counteract muscle loss and support overall health during perimenopause. PerimenoGO is designed to make sure that you’re meeting your nutritional needs while also addressing the hormonal changes that impact muscle mass during this stage of life.

By following the PerimenoGO plan, you’re not only supporting muscle health but also tackling other common perimenopausal symptoms like weight gain, fatigue, and mood swings. The program’s emphasis on balanced nutrition, sufficient protein intake, antioxidant-rich foods, and regular activity can help you maintain muscle mass, improve your energy levels, and enhance your overall quality of life, all with a supportive community of other women also making changes to their life and health.

CONCLUSION

Muscle loss during perimenopause is more than just an inevitable part of aging — it’s a manageable challenge, regardless of which phase you’re at, but starting early, thinking about it now in perimenopause will make it much easier to avoid. By understanding the risks and taking proactive steps now, you can maintain your strength, support healthy aging, and continue to feel like your best self.

If you’re ready to take charge of your health and protect your muscle mass during perimenopause, but want some help to make it easier, then click here to learn more about how PerimenoGO can support you!