Comparison of the Dietary Intake and Adherence to the Healthy Eating Index between Pre-Menopausal, Menopausal and Post-Menopausal Women
Authors
Leila Moradi 1,Seyed Jalal Hashemi 2 ,Ferdos Zaman 3 ,Meysam Alipour 3 , Zahra Farhangiyan 1 ,Maryam Sharifzadeh 4
Affiliations
- Assistant professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Diabetes Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
- Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Alimentary Tract Research Center, Clinical Sciences Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
- Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition, Shoushtar Faculty of Medical Sciences, Shoushtar, Iran
- Subspecialty Resident of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Diabetes Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Abstract
Background: Nutritional intake significantly influences hormonal regulation and health outcomes related
to menopause.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 2049 women were placed in three groups: pre-menopausal (736), menopausal (396) and post-menopausal (917). The healthy food index was evaluated and calculated using the food frequency questionnaire.
Findings: Obesity prevalence and physical activity levels were significantly higher in premenopausal, menopausal and postmenopausal groups, respectively (P < 0.001). The intake of calories, macronutrients, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in the pre-menopause group was significantly higher than the menopause and post-menopause groups. After adjusting for confounding factors, comparing the quartiles of the healthy eating index between the groups did not show a significant difference (P = 0.145). Nevertheless, the highest frequency of the fourth quartile (high score of the healthy food index) was observed in the premenopausal group and the highest frequency of the first quartile (low score of the healthy food index) was observed in the postmenopausal group. More adherence to the healthy eating index was observed in women with a higher level of education (P < 0.001).
Conclusion: Physical activity and the quality of food intake based on following the healthy food index are inappropriate in menopausal and postmenopausal women. Therefore, it is recommended to focus on healthy lifestyle education, including dietary guidelines and increasing physical activity in postmenopausal women.
