Research Reflections: Ep. 6 | Cortisol + weight + (peri)menopause
The relationship between cortisol, exercise and weight gets a lot of airtime out on the internet.
In this episode of Research Reflections, we wanted to investigate how true some of the claims made online really are. For example:
Should women in perimenopause avoid moderate intensity activity if they want to lose weight?
Or, should women not engage in high intensity exercise as it can be too stimulating to cortisol?
In this episode, Dr. Alex Verge and I wade into this discussion with an in-depth inquiry into:
The significance of cortisol during the menopausal transition
The benefits of exercise during this transition
The role of exercise and weight loss in perimenopause and menopause
Ultimately, the data was very clear on the benefit of exercise and while cortisol seems to be present during the menopausal transition, it’s still too early to tell the exact role it plays and the nuances of the physiological significance.
The studies we discussed:
We reviewed quite a bit of studies in preparation for this discussion! The references are linked here.
More on hormonal health:
