A study tracking more than 38,000 women over 12 years found that those who ate more plant foods and fewer processed meats and salty snacks gained less weight during menopause than those who followed less healthy eating patterns. The research also found that healthier diets were linked to lower rates of obesity during the same period.
According to Healthline, the study was conducted by researchers from Harvard and the National University of Singapore and published on May 20. It drew on data from the Nurses' Health Study II, a large ongoing research project that began in 1989 and includes female nurses from across the United States.
Researchers focused on women going through menopause and followed them for about 12 years, covering six years before and six years after their reported menopause. Menopause was defined as the point at which a woman stopped menstruating for at least one year. Every four years, participants completed detailed food questionnaires capturing their usual intake of various foods. Participants also self-reported their weight every two years.
The research team analyzed questionnaire responses to calculate scores for 11 different dietary patterns. These included well-known approaches such as the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet designed to lower blood pressure, and several plant-based diets. Researchers also examined a newer framework called the Planetary Health Diet, which emphasizes both sustainability and heart health, along with diets categorized by their effects on insulin and inflammation and the consumption of ultra-processed foods.
Women who followed the Planetary Health Diet showed particularly strong results, along with those on Mediterranean and DASH diet patterns. All of these diets were generally rich in fruits, vegetables, and other whole plant foods. To make sure results were accurate, the researchers accounted for a range of outside factors including age, race, income, physical activity, smoking, hormone therapy use, and each woman's body weight at the start of the study.
The findings point to the gut microbiome and metabolic function as possible pathways. Plant foods contain nutrients associated with better metabolic health and a more balanced gut microbiome, both of which can influence how the body stores fat during hormonal transitions like menopause.
Weight gain during menopause is common and tied to the significant physical changes that occur during that life stage. The study offers evidence that dietary choices during the years surrounding menopause can make a measurable difference in how much weight a woman gains. Experts cited in the report suggest that women looking to shift toward a more plant-forward diet start with foods they already enjoy rather than making drastic changes all at once.
The research adds to a growing body of evidence connecting diet quality to health outcomes during midlife, and may offer useful guidance for both women and the healthcare providers working with them during this transition.
