A low-fat dietary pattern and risk of metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women: the Women's Health Initiative.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

Nutrition plays an important role in metabolic syndrome etiology. We examined whether the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Dietary Modification Trial influenced metabolic syndrome risk.

MATERIALS/METHODS:

48,835 postmenopausal women aged 50-79 years were randomized to a low-fat (20% energy from fat) diet (intervention) or usual diet (comparison) for a mean of 8.1 years. Blood pressure, waist circumference and fasting blood measures of glucose, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides were measured on a subsample (n=2816) at baseline and years 1, 3 and 6 post-randomization. Logistic regression estimated associations of the intervention with metabolic syndrome risk and use of cholesterol-lowering and hypertension medications. Multivariate linear regression tested associations between the intervention and metabolic syndrome components.

RESULTS:

At year 3, but not years 1 or 6, women in the intervention group (vs. comparison) had a non-statistically significant lower risk of metabolic syndrome (OR=0.83, 95%CI 0.59-1.18). Linear regression models simultaneously modeling the five metabolic syndrome components revealed significant associations of the intervention with metabolic syndrome at year 1 (p<0.0001), but not years 3 (p=0.19) and 6 (p=0.17). Analyses restricted to intervention-adherent participants strengthened associations at years 3 (p=0.05) and 6 (p=0.06). Cholesterol-lowering and hypertension medication use was 19% lower at year 1 for intervention vs. comparison group women (OR=0.81, 95% CI 0.60-1.09).Over the entire trial, fewer intervention vs. comparison participants used these medications (26.0% vs. 29.9%), although results were not statistically significant (p=0.89).

CONCLUSIONS:

The WHI low-fat diet may influence metabolic syndrome risk and decrease use of hypertension and cholesterol-lowering medications. Findings have potential for meaningful clinical translation.

• Authors: Marian L Neuhouser, Barbara Howard, Jingmin Lu, Lesley F Tinker, Linda Van Horn, Bette Caan, Thomas Rohan, Marcia L Stefanick, Cynthia A Thomson
• Journal: Metabolism: clinical and experimental (Metabolism) Vol. 61 Issue 11 Pg. 1572-81 (Nov 2012) ISSN: 1532-8600 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 22633601 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Dietary Fats

Topics

• Aged
• Dietary Fats (administration & dosage)
• Female
• Humans
• Metabolic Syndrome (epidemiology)
• Middle Aged
• Postmenopause
• Risk Factors
• Women's Health