[Comparative study on the clinical-nutritional status of obese postmenopausal women on a weight loss programme based on prepared dishes].
BACKGROUND
Few studies have evaluated the efficacy and reliability of weight loss-focussed prepared food dishes in obese post-menopausal women.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the efficacy of a weight loss programme based on a balanced hypocaloric diet using prepared dishes* with that of a similar programme based on standard commercially available foods and with a non-intervened control group. A further aim was to evaluate the subjectivity of participants in the preparation of the diet-adjusted dishes based on usually consumed products.


METHODS
Obese post-menopausal women aged between 55 and 65 years.


METHODS
Controlled longitudinal interventional study.


METHODS
The sample of 75 female volunteers were divided into three groups of 25 women: a control group, who continued to consume their usual non-dietary adjusted meals (CG), an intervened group, treated with a diet adjusted to their individual requirements and based on standard commercially available food (SG), and another intervened group, treated with a similarly adjusted diet but based on prepared dishes (PG). Data were gathered on anthropometric variables, consumption habits and physical activity levels, and clinical-nutritional controls were conducted at the start and every two weeks to the end of the 8-week study in order to evaluate biochemical changes.


RESULTS
The weight loss was slightly higher in the prepared-dishes group (PG) than in the standard food diet group (SG), but the difference was not statistically significant, whereas it was considerably higher in both groups than in the non-dietary adjusted control group (CG) and this difference was highly significant (losses of 7.60 kg in PG and 7.01 kg in SG versus 2.10 kg in CG (p < 0.01). However, the PG showed a significantly higher (p < 0.01) loss of fatty mass and abdominal circumference versus the SG women.


CONCLUSIONS
More weight was lost by the two groups treated with a diet based on prepared dishes or usual food items in comparison to untreated controls, but the diet based on prepared dishes obtained more reliable and higher quality outcomes, achieving a positive change at fatty compartment level and in the abdominal circumference.
Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Granada, España.
G
G
Rodríguez-Navarrete
A
A
Sánchez-Oliver
B
B
López-González
A
A
Pérez de la Cruz
B
B
Manzano Romero
E
E
Planells del Pozo
D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D031204:Caloric Restriction / Q000379:methods; D004032:Diet; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy*; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000502:physiology; D015431:Weight Loss