Registered dietitian Michelle Sirmons explains why protein becomes critical for women over 40. Declining estrogen removes its protective effects on muscle and metabolism, making postmenopausal women more susceptible to muscle loss and slower recovery. Strength training plus increased protein can help mitigate these changes.
After blood sugar control, protein is going to become so important, especially for women over 40, because as estrogen declines, estrogen is protector for muscle, for metabolism, for your connective tissue. But when it drops, your body is going to be more prone to muscle loss, more fat gain, and slower recovery. And what we see is that in the research, postmenopausal women have impaired muscle repair compared to younger women. So what that means is that the same workout that you did in your 20s or your 30s now requires more recovery time. And part of that recovery is going to be coming from protein. Now, what we know is that when women are in peri and postmenopause, they tend to lose muscle a little bit easier, and this means they need to increase their total protein intake. That and strength training can also help with reducing muscle and bone loss.
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