Can Hormone Imbalances Cause Weight Gain?

Understanding how your hormone levels relate to your weight can help you stay healthy because hormones (and the balance between them) play major roles in your body’s function. Let’s talk about some of the hormonal imbalances that can lead to weight gain and how you can correct them.

Common Hormonal Imbalances in Women

Aging can lead to some imbalances, while others may be due to lifestyle or diet. No matter the cause, the most common hormonal imbalances women deal with involve the thyroid and sex hormones.

Low Thyroid Hormones

The thyroid gland is a key player in your metabolism, your body’s ability to turn food into energy. It affects nearly every organ. Hypothyroidism, or low thyroid hormone levels, affects about 1 in 8 women at some point in their lives.

This condition can slow down the body’s metabolism as it regulates heartbeat and temperature, which often leads to slower blood flow, cold hands and feet, and weight gain. Studies have consistently shown that a faster metabolism is linked to higher levels of thyroid hormones, underscoring the thyroid's role in energy use and weight management.

Hypothyroidism can also disrupt digestive health, leading to low stomach acid and poor bile function in the gallbladder. When you can’t digest your food well, that can also cause you to gain weight.

High Estrogen

Weight changes throughout life are often linked to hormonal shifts, especially to imbalances in estrogen and progesterone. During times like puberty, excess estrogen can lead to weight gain. On the other hand, in some cases, high estrogen levels cause hyperactivity leading to weight loss.

As women age past their 30s, progesterone levels fall, often leading to an imbalance with estrogen. This shift can slow down metabolism and cause weight gain. Balancing estrogen and progesterone is crucial for maintaining metabolic health.

Ways to Balance Hormones and Manage Weight Gain

Sometimes imbalances happen due to factors we can’t control, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do to fix them. Paying close attention to your diet and making some changes to your lifestyle are the first steps toward better hormonal balance.

Love Your Liver

The liver is the body's filter, playing a critical role in controlling hormone levels. It converts the thyroid hormone T4 into the more active T3, helps get rid of excess hormones like estrogen, and makes crucial digestive fluids and hormones like bile and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Supporting liver health by getting enough protein and B vitamins is vital for hormonal balance.

Relax

High levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, are directly linked to weight gain. New research into cortisol-blocking drugs suggests they can aid weight loss. Managing stress with methods like meditation, herbal remedies, and sunlight can help lower cortisol and tame its effects on weight.

Stay Strong

Muscle mass is key to a healthy metabolism. Research points to a link between higher muscle mass and a faster metabolism. It shows that high-protein diets can increase muscle mass even without exercise, which boosts your ability to make energy. And keeping your muscles strong helps your body make the right amount of hormones because muscle tissue makes hormones like testosterone.

Get Your Vitamin D

Mitochondria, the energy factories in every cell of the body, need vitamin D to do their job. So it makes sense that studies show low vitamin D harms muscle function by lowering the amount of energy the mitochondria make. Good vitamin D levels are crucial for building healthy muscles and making the right amount of energy from the food you eat.

Adjusting these four aspects of your health is likely to make a notable difference in your hormone levels and, in turn, your weight. Before long, you should be feeling better and looking great, too!

Need Help With Your Metabolism?

Addressing weight gain caused by hormonal imbalances requires a complete look at your health. It starts with simple changes to your diet and lifestyle that help your body function better, but sometimes these are not enough.

At Raena.com, we’re dedicated to guiding you through these complex health puzzles with personalized strategies. Contact us to learn about hormone testing and other solutions that can help you understand your body and meet its hormonal and metabolic needs.