Longitudinal changes in dietary intake in Scottish women around the menopause: changes in dietary pattern result in minor changes in nutrient intake

Abstract

Objective: To examine dietary change that has occurred over 5 to 6 years. Subjects: A cohort of Scottish women (n ¼ 898) with a mean age of 47.5 years (range 45 -54 years) at baseline. Design: Dietary intake was assessed by validated food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and analysed using the UK Composition of Foods database. Results: Since the first dietary assessment, mean daily energy intake had decreased from 8.2^2.3 to 7.9^2.2 MJ. The degree of low energy reporting (defined as ratio of energy intake to basal metabolic rate , 1.1) had increased from 18.7% at baseline to 25.6% at follow-up. Low energy reporters were significantly heavier than 'normal' energy reporters (mean weight at follow-up, 68.9^12.6 vs. 66.8^11.3 kg) and could be deliberately restricting intake rather than underreporting. Overall there were decreases in intakes of red meat, processed meat and cheese, but increases in poultry and non-oily fish consumption. Consumption of bread, biscuits and cakes had gone down and there was an increase in cereal and rice/pasta consumption. Intake of potatoes had decreased whereas fruit intake had increased. There were small but statistically significant differences in intakes for most nutrients (, 8% change). Nutrient intakes at both visits were similar across menopausal status and usage groups of hormone replacement therapy. Modifications to the computer version of the McCance and Widdowson nutrient database, which differed from the published version, were noted. These changes altered the original baseline values for our study. Conclusions: The menopause per se is not a period of marked change in nutrient intake. Caution is advised when using computer databases of food compositions for longitudinal studies. Keywords Longitudinal dietary changesMenopause Women Nutrients Food-frequency questionnaire There is little information available on long-term (. 5 year) changes in dietary patterns or nutrient intake in specific populations. In particular, we do not know whether nutrient intake remains relatively fixed once women reach adulthood or whether the period around the menopausal transition is one of marked dietary change.Changes in dietary patterns have been observed in a random sample of British adults between 1984/85 and 1991/92 that appeared to be associated with alterations in lifestyle or a change in health circumstances 1 . The National Food Survey (NFS) 2 has reported several long-term changes in key food groups over the last 25 years, such as decreased consumption of milk but an increase in milk products; increase in fruit consumption but a decreased intake of green vegetables. The National Diet and Nutritional Survey (NDNS) of 2000/01 for 18 -64-yearolds has recently reported key changes in a number of food groups (meat, milk, vegetables, fruit, fish and beverages) and their associated nutrients since the 1986/ 87 survey 3 . However, these large studies are a series of cross-sectional investigations across the population of the UK. There is a paucity of data that are truly longitudinal in t...

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