July 16, 2021 by Densie Webb · Body

Here’s What’s Behind Your Slowing Metabolism and (Maybe) Increasing Belly Fat

You’re not eating more, but you've taken on extra padding. Welcome to the club. Here Densie Webb explains the science behind this shift—and what you can and can’t do about it.

Like many women her age, my twenty-something daughter is not afraid to show off her midsection; she's comfortable in low-slung jeans, bikinis, hip-hugging shorts, whatever. Sometimes I look at her and think, “Was my stomach ever that flat?”

But I know the answer. Yes, in fact, it was. I have photographic evidence. So what causes the midsection migration of fat as we age? Aside from the inevitable changes caused by the push and pull of past pregnancies, researchers are beginning to point a finger at hormones—but it’s not the one you might think. And this affects all women, including those who have never been pregnant.

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