title: Association between quality of the diet and cardiometabolic risk factors in postmenopausal women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Climateric is a phase of women's life marked by the transition from the reproductive to the non-reproductive period. In addition to overall weight gain, the menopause is also associated with the increase of abdominal fat. We used The Healthy Eating Index as a summary measure to evaluate the major components and the quality of women's diet after the onset of the menopause. This study aims at examining the association between the quality of the diet and cardiometabolic risk factors in postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study including 215 postmenopausal women attending a public outpatient clinic. The 24-hour dietary recall method was used to assess the food intake and to establish the Healthy Eating Index. Diets were then classified as appropriate diet (>80 points), diet "requiring improvement" (80-51 points), and poor diet (<51 points). Cardiometabolic risk factors included abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. The Fisher's exact test was utilized for the Statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis of the food intake showed that the average daily intake of lipids (36.7%) and sodium (2829.9 mg) were above the recommended. Only 8.8% of the women performed moderate or intense physical exercises on a regular basis. The diet was considered poor in 16.3%, "requiring improvement" in 82.8%, and appropriate for only 0.9% of the women. The study detected increased waist circumference in 92.1% of the participants. The mean concentration of triglycerides was of 183.3 mg/dl, and 130.7 mg/dl for cholesterol (Low Density Lipoprotein).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women consume a low quality diet, possibly due to the low intake of vegetables and fruits and excessive consumption of sodium. These inappropriate eating habits are associated with and, have a negative impact on the cardiometabolic risk factors such as abdominal obesity.
authors.forename: Danyelle de Almeida
authors.initials: Dde A
authors.lastname: Ventura
authors.affiliation: Instituto Fernandes Figueira (IFF/Fiocruz), Avenida Rui Barbosa, 716-Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. vaniamf36@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Vânia de Matos
authors.initials: Vde M
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: Eloane Gonçalves
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Lizanka Paola Figueiredo
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Marinheiro
authors.forename: Rita Adriana Gomes de
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Celia Regina Moutinho de Miranda
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Chaves
authors.forename: Maria Virginia Marques
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Peixoto
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus; D004032:Diet; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002149:Energy Intake; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006331:Heart Diseases; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias; D006973:Hypertension; D008659:Metabolic Diseases; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology; D017698:Postmenopause; D012307:Risk Factors; D012982:Sodium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014675:Vegetables; D055105:Waist Circumference; D016387:Women's Health
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D012982:Sodium, Dietary