Peeke, a physician trained in nutrition who has worked with hundreds of overweight women, says there are two types of fat that women often gain in the abdomen in their late 40s and early 50s as their estrogen changes. A lean 5 feet 10 inches tall, Peeke, who is in her mid-40s, says even she gained a menopot despite marathon running and a strenuous weightlifting regimen. It's a controlled menopot. I'm not Jabba the Hutt. But the far more dangerous fat is the kind that's deeper in the abdomen.
Many factors influence that fat, including eating and exercise habits and hormonal changes.
But toxic stress is one of the newly discovered players causing weight gain deep in the gut in some people, Peeke says. Men and women from their late 30s through their 50s are especially vulnerable to toxic stress, which generates feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, she says. They might be worrying about or caring for an aging parent, coping with a divorce, living with a spouse who is unhappy with work , dealing with a micromanaging boss or trying to communicate with a rebellious teenager. For many people, chronic dieting is another cause of toxic stress, Peeke says. Peeke says toxic stress causes prolonged elevations of cortisol, a hormone that often stimulates appetite, nervous eating and overeating in most people.