Comparison of the Dietary Intake and Adherence to the Healthy Eating Index between Pre-Menopausal, Menopausal and Post-Menopausal Women

Nutritional intake has an important effect on hormonal regulation and health outcomes related to menopause.

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.

The prevalence of obesity and the level of physical activity 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).

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 suggested to pay attention to healthy lifestyle education, including guidelines for food intake and increasing physical activity in postmenopausal women.