Feeling Extra Hungry Lately? It Could Be Perimenopause

I always say that it’s okay to feel a little hungry, after all this is your body’s way of signaling to you that it's ready for its next meal. What we don’t want is the feeling like you’re starving.

When we allow ourselves to get to the point where we feel starving, we may feel more out of control and end up eating more than we intended to. It’s almost like you can’t stop yourself! When your hormones are out of balance, you may find this happening more and more frequently, which can be really frustrating! Let’s have a look at the physiology behind why this is happening and then more importantly, what you can do about it! 

What hormones affect appetite? 

Your appetite is controlled by a part of your brain called the hypothalamus which can either stimulate or reduce your appetite. For example, in the presence of neuropeptide-Y and ghrelin, your appetite increases, whereas in the presence of leptin your appetite decreases.

This part of the brain also contains estrogen receptors, which is what led scientists to explore the relationship between estrogen and these appetite-controlling peptides. They discovered that estrogen is deeply involved in the central regulation of appetite and has the ability to reduce neuropeptide-Y and ghrelin and increase leptin. Essentially, estrogen is the sex hormone that keeps you feeling full!

Does your appetite change as you get older?

As you age, several things happen in your body which can in turn, affect your estrogen levels and subsequently how hungry you feel. For example, as women get older, not only do their ovarian reserves decrease but their energy expenditure and activity levels also naturally decline. All of these factors lead to reduced estrogen levels which, you guessed it, causes you to feel more hungry. 

In many cases when you feel hungrier, it’s normal to eat more and this could translate to unwanted weight gain. In response to this, women may choose to eat less food in a bid to lose weight. Unfortunately, repeated states of a negative energy balance that can happen with restricted eating actually tend to increase your hunger hormone, ghrelin, leaving you feeling even hungrier than before. 

Why a high-protein diet is great for women in perimenopause

If you think you are feeling hungrier than your typical self, know that it’s completely normal as hormones fluctuate and become imbalanced. But the question remains, how can we naturally reduce this hunger to make it easier to maintain a healthy weight?

The most important thing to remember is that moderation is key. Instead of opting for an extreme fad diet, the research is quite clear that you should rather follow a consistent, energy-controlled diet that is higher in protein. Here are a few ways adding more protein to your diet can help keep unwanted weight gain at bay:

1. It helps you fight hunger cravings

Protein is known to be one of the macronutrients that increase satiety and helps you stay feeling fuller for longer. One of the reasons it does this is that it stimulates the secretion of a peptide called cholecystokinin (CCK). CCK then slows gastric emptying, which means that food stays in your stomach for a longer period of time and helps keep you feeling full. Studies have shown that the release of CCK (due to protein intake) reduces the amount of food eaten and meal size without inducing hunger (like traditional dieting might). 

2. You burn more energy per day

Whenever you eat food, your body uses energy to digest and absorb it. Different macronutrients use up different amounts of energy and this energy loss is known as dietary-induced thermogenesis (DIT). DIT values are highest for protein (~15-30%), followed by carbohydrates (~5-10%) and fat (~0-3%). When you add it all up, following a diet higher in protein can actually make a significant difference in the amount of energy you burn per day. In addition to this, increased DIT due to a higher protein diet can also contribute to satiety! This is because more oxygen is needed to metabolize the additional proteins from the diet and this increase in oxygen is also thought to increase fullness. 

3. It helps maintain muscle which boosts metabolism

As we age, we naturally lose some of our muscle mass and following a higher protein diet may prevent this. This is because protein is literally the building block of each and every cell in your body and your muscles are no exception. Multiple studies have found that a low-protein diet is related to muscle loss, so it stands to reason that this essential nutrient is included for those going through hormonal imbalances. Besides being functional, muscles are also metabolically active and the more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism will be. So maintaining your muscle mass may also help you to maintain your weight! 

What questions do you have about trying a high-protein diet? Leave them in the comments below or tag us in a photo of your protein-filled meal or snack on Instagram! You can find out more about your hormonal health along with delicious recipes to combat symptoms in the MBODY app today — available for download on the App Store and Google Play Store.