Menopause accelerates muscle loss

This observational study has the inherent limitation of being unable to establish causation. It specifically addresses body composition changes during the menopausal transition and finds a slight increase in lean mass loss around the time of final menstruation compared to before and after. The underlying cause is difficult to determine since this period may be confounded by other transition-related factors like sleep disturbances, anxiety, and gastrointestinal issues. Despite these limitations, this is a solid study showing a possible correlation. The findings also reveal racial differences, with White and Japanese women showing greater lean mass loss.