Low-insulinemic, planetary health diets optimize weight management during menopause

27 May 2026, 17:40 · Medical Xpress

by Lori Solomon

edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

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Adopting low-insulinemic and planetary health diets during menopause is associated with optimized weight management, according to a study published online May 20 in JAMA Network Open.

Tong Xia, M.D., Ph.D., from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues compared dietary patterns and their associations with weight gain and obesity risk in the years surrounding menopause. The analysis included 38,283 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study II, with 12-year observations surrounding menopause.

The researchers found that after adjusting for age, race and ethnicity, marital status, income, postmenopausal hormone therapy use, parity, smoking, alcohol, energy intake, physical activity, and baseline body mass index, the reverse empirical dietary index for hyperinsulinemia (EDIH; quintile 5 versus 1) was associated with the largest reduction in weight gain (mean, −0.28 kg/year). The lowest risk for incident obesity was seen with the Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI; hazard ratio, 0.46) and reverse EDIH (hazard ratio, 0.51). The largest positive correlations in the EDIH were seen with red or processed meats, sodium, and French fries, while for the PHDI, the largest positive correlations were seen with nuts, unsaturated fats, whole-grain carbohydrates, and vegetable protein.

"Incorporating this dietary guidance into routine midlife care may help prevent obesity and support long-term cardiometabolic health in women," the authors write.

Publication details

Tong Xia et al, Optimal Dietary Patterns for Lower Weight Gain and Risk of Obesity Surrounding Menopause, JAMA Network Open (2026). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.13102

Journal information: JAMA Network Open

Key medical concepts

Obesity

Clinical categories

Weight managementNutrition & Healthy eatingFamily medicineWomen's healthObstetrics & gynecologyEndocrinologyHealthy aging Who's behind this story?

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