Changes in intake of fruits and vegetables in relation to risk of obesity and weight gain among middle-aged women.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the changes in intake of fruits and vegetables in relation to risk of obesity and weight gain among middle-aged women.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study with 12 y of follow-up conducted in the Nurses' Health Study.


METHODS
A total of 74,063 female nurses aged 38-63 y, who were free of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes at baseline in 1984.


METHODS
Dietary information was collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire, and body weight and height were self-reported.


RESULTS
During the 12-y follow-up, participants tended to gain weight with aging, but those with the largest increase in fruit and vegetable intake had a 24% of lower risk of becoming obese (BMI> or =30 kg/m2) compared with those who had the largest decrease in intake after adjustment for age, physical activity, smoking, total energy intake, and other lifestyle variables (relative risk (RR), 0.76; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.69-0.86; P for trend <0.0001). For major weight gain (> or =25 kg), women with the largest increase in intake of fruits and vegetables had a 28% lower risk compared to those in the other extreme group (RR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.55-0.93; P=0.01). Similar results were observed for changes in intake of fruits and vegetables when analyzed separately.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that increasing intake of fruits and vegetables may reduce long-term risk of obesity and weight gain among middle-aged women.
He
K
K
Department of Preventive Medicine, The Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611-4402, USA. kahe@northwestern.edu
Hu
F B
FB
Colditz
G A
GA
Manson
J E
JE
Willett
W C
WC
Liu
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014675:Vegetables; D015430:Weight Gain