Can a Single Dietary Pattern Improve All Health Outcomes in Postmenopausal Women?

Mar 16
The transition to menopause triggers significant physiological changes, elevating the risk of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and metabolic disorders. Given the crucial role of diet in mitigating these risks, it is essential to identify dietary patterns that influence multiple menopause-related health outcomes rather than targeting just one. In an effort to address this, Mojgan Amiri et al. in the study published in Maturitas, utilized data from the Rotterdam Study to explore dietary patterns that may optimize overall health in postmenopausal women. However, can a single dietary pattern truly improve all health-related outcomes simultaneously?

Key Findings from the Study
The study analyzed data from 1,814 postmenopausal women, identifying two distinct dietary patterns and analyzed their associations with various health parameters in postmenopausal women, including bone mineral density, body composition parameters, lipid profile markers, insulin resistance, systolic blood pressure, cognitive function, depression, and sleep quality:

1. Plant-Rich Dietary Pattern: Characterized by higher intake of vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, coffee, tea, alcoholic beverages, and cheese, this pattern was linked to:
o Lower levels of adiposity
o Improved blood pressure and lipid markers
o Reduced insulin resistance
o Positive associations with cognitive function and bone mineral density

2. Meat-Centric Dietary Pattern: Defined by higher intakes of processed and red meats, poultry, eggs, and coffee, and lower intake of sweets and tea, this pattern was associated with:
o Higher levels of adiposity
o Increased insulin resistance and unfavorable lipid markers
o Minor variations in bone mineral density

Despite these associations, the identified dietary patterns explained up to 12.1% of the variation in individual health factors. However, their collective contribution to the combined health factors was less than 5%. Furthermore, neither dietary pattern demonstrated a significant impact on mortality risk or cardiovascular mortality after adjusting for confounders, including demographics, socioeconomic status, lifestyle, disease history, and medication use.

The Challenge of an All-Encompassing Dietary Pattern
While the study highlights meaningful dietary influences on specific health parameters, it also reveals the complexity of defining a single dietary pattern that can optimize all health aspects in postmenopausal women. Several key challenges arise:

• Trade-Offs Between Outcomes: A diet beneficial for metabolic health may not necessarily enhance bone health or cognitive function. For example, dairy products and alcohol, present in the plant-rich pattern, may support bone density but could have mixed effects on metabolic health.

• Limited Explained Variation: Even the most beneficial dietary pattern in the study accounted for only small percentages of variation in key health markers, except for G-factor. In addition, their collective contribution to the combined menopausal health factors considered in the study was less than 5%. These suggests that the identified patterns might be more predictive of specific health risks among postmenopausal women, and that other factors, genetics, physical activity, and hormonal changes, also play significant roles. It also underscores the importance of holistic lifestyle approaches, which may be more effective than diet alone in improving health outcomes.

• Individualized Nutritional Needs: The impact of diet can vary significantly among individuals based on their genetic predisposition, pre-existing health conditions, and lifestyle factors. A one-size-fits-all approach may not be practical.

Conclusion
These findings underscore the complexity of defining a single dietary pattern that can address the diverse health challenges faced by postmenopausal women. However, they also provide a valuable foundation for future research aimed at identifying optimal dietary patterns that integrate various health aspects to improve overall well-being in postmenopausal populations. While certain dietary patterns, such as the plant-rich diet, were associated with positive health outcomes in specific areas, they were not able to significantly impact all health outcomes or meaningfully influence mortality risk and cardiovascular health.

Read full study here. Epistudia is proud to have contributed to this research, helping to deepen our understanding of how diet can improve women’s health.