JJ Virgin4x NYTimes Best Selling Author, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Fitness Hall of Famer

Does Estrogen Make You Carry Fat?

24 Jul 2025 · 1 min

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In a brief interview, JJ Virgin explains that as women approach menopause, estrogen levels drop, which triggers an increase in insulin and cortisol. These hormonal changes cause a redistribution of body fat from the hips and thighs to visceral abdominal fat, a type of fat linked to higher risks of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. To counteract this shift, Virgin recommends three practical strategies: engage in regular resistance training, prioritize quality sleep, and consume protein first in meals.

Chapters

Hey JJ, how do declining estrogen levels impact where your body stores fat?
So as we're going into menopause, estrogen starts to decline. It actually does a little bit of a roller coaster, but when your estrogen starts to lower, a couple things happen. Insulin goes up, cortisol goes up. Both of those make you do something called shifting sands. That's what my mom called it, where your fat moves off of your butt and thighs. It actually moves into your gut, into something called visceral adipose tissue, which increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, It's very dangerous fat. And so what you want to do to offset that drop in estrogen and that storage here is start to work against it by making sure you're doing resistance training, you're getting good sleep, and you're eating protein first.