TOPLINE:

Postmenopausal women had significantly lower lean body mass and greater central adiposity across BMI categories than premenopausal and perimenopausal women. These changes were more pronounced in those with normal weight.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a retrospective cross‑sectional study to assess how the menopausal transition alters body composition in women across BMI categories and to determine menopause‑related changes in lean and fat tissue distribution.
• They included 325 healthy women from a hospital in Poland and classified them as premenopausal women (n = 217), perimenopausal women (n = 58), and postmenopausal women (n = 50), with data on clinical parameters and body composition collected between January and April 2022.
• Each menopausal group was further stratified according to BMI categories: normal weight (18.5-24.9), overweight (25.0-29.9), and obesity (30.0-39.9).
• Body compositions such as fat mass, lean mass, total body water, protein, mineral content, hormonal profile, lipid profile, and glucose and insulin levels were assessed under fasting conditions in the morning.

TAKEAWAY:

• Postmenopausal women with normal weight had lower lean body mass, soft lean mass, skeletal muscle mass, total body water, protein, and mineral content, alongside a significantly higher total and visceral fat area, body fat percentage, and waist-to-hip ratio, than premenopausal and perimenopausal women with normal weight (P < .05 for all).
• In the overweight group, postmenopausal women had a higher waist-to-hip ratio and visceral fat area and higher fasting glucose and total cholesterol levels than premenopausal women (P < .05 for all).
• In the obesity group, postmenopausal women had lower body fat mass than premenopausal women and higher fasting glucose, total cholesterol, and insulin levels than perimenopausal women (P < .05 for all).

IN PRACTICE:

"Routine assessment of skeletal muscle and visceral fat may help identify women at increased cardiometabolic risk during midlife, supporting early preventive strategies," the authors wrote.

"Early implementation of these measures may help mitigate cardiometabolic risk, reduce the development of sarcopenic obesity in women who develop obesity, and preserve functional capacity and quality of life in midlife women," they added.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Anna Szeliga, Department of Gynecological Endocrinology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland. It was published online on January 16, 2026, in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.

LIMITATIONS:

The retrospective study design restricted causal inference between menopause, hormonal changes, and body composition alterations. Postmenopausal women were significantly older than premenopausal control women, limiting the ability to distinguish menopause-related hormonal effects from chronological aging. The lack of data on lifestyle-related factors such as physical activity, dietary intake, and protein consumption limited the interpretation of changes in lean and fat mass.

DISCLOSURES:

This study did not receive any external funding. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.