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Plant-Forward and Low‑Insulinemic Diets Linked to Less Weight Gain During Menopause

Shifting to minimally processed plant-forward foods may slow visceral fat gain, reducing long-term cardiometabolic risk.

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An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows A middle-aged woman sitting on a couch and eating a green salad, Image 2 shows A mature woman in a coral shirt and gray leggings measures her waist with a yellow tape measure, smiling brightly with an open mouth in a living room
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Overview

  • A JAMA Network Open study published May 20 analyzed more than 38,000 U.S. women in the Nurses' Health Study II over a 12-year window around menopause and identified two dietary patterns tied to smaller annual weight gains.
  • The planetary health pattern and a low-insulinemic pattern — both high in nuts, legumes, fruits, vegetables and whole grains and low in red and processed meat, sodium, potatoes and fried foods — showed the strongest associations with lower weight gain.
  • Women scoring highest on the planetary health index gained about 0.28 kg less per year than those with the poorest diets, roughly 3.4 kg less across the study period, and had about half the odds of developing obesity.
  • The findings emphasize food quality over simple macronutrient counts because plant-based low-carb approaches were linked to less weight gain while animal-heavy low-carb regimens were not.
  • Because the study is observational the results do not prove cause, but clinicians and public health guidance may consider promoting these plant-forward, low-insulinemic patterns in routine midlife care to help limit visceral fat and downstream risks such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.