What causes women to gain weight due to edema?

Many women seem to gain weight very quickly. In fact, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, it is mostly because of edema, which makes them look a lot fatter. What causes edema and weight gain in women? There are many reasons for female edema, but so is a woman's natural constitution. If you take certain medications, your hormones may hinder the body's excretion; or due to lack of exercise, a large amount of toxic substances may accumulate in the body.

4 reasons that cause women to gain weight due to edema

1. Hormones and medications

Women's physiques are naturally prone to edema. In addition to general hormones, there are also special hormones that will hinder your body from excreting excess water. For example, insulin (used to digest sugar), corticosterone (naturally secreted during times of stress), and the female hormones progesterone and estradiol. Your kidneys are influenced by these hormones to regulate the levels of sodium in your body and prevent your body from excreting excess water. In addition, some prescription drugs such as birth control pills and pain relievers can also change the hormone levels in your body and hinder the excretion of water.

2. Waste and Toxins

The fat lumps on the thighs and buttocks that bother many girls are also closely related to edema. It can be said that to a large extent, it is edema that causes obesity in the thighs and upper body that is out of proportion. When the human body metabolizes, some waste and toxins will be converted into fat and stored in the body, which is the culprit of thigh edema!

3. Not consuming enough calories

You heard it right, this is not a sensational legend. If you want to lose weight, you must have customized a low-calorie diet menu for yourself, or you just want to maintain your figure, so you count calories when eating every day. In fact, if the calorie intake is insufficient, the excess water in your body cannot be eliminated, and it may even cause water to accumulate in the body, especially when your daily calorie intake is less than 1,200 calories. Insufficient calories means that the protein in your blood is insufficient, resulting in excess water being unable to be excreted from the body, which naturally makes you look a little "fat".

4. Excessive salt intake

Table salt is rich in sodium, which prevents the body from excreting excess water. Also, consuming too much salt can make you thirsty, so your body will naturally retain excess water. If you are a "eat out" person, or like food with stronger flavors, then you have to be careful, because the harm caused by excessive salt intake is not only edema, but also increases the burden on the heart, causes high blood pressure and so on. It should be noted that not all obesity is caused by eating too much salt. By eliminating the edema caused by salt, you can lose at most 1 catties. But from a health perspective, eating less salt is naturally beneficial.