Dietary intake and menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women: a systematic review

Abstract

Despite literature pointing to a relation between dietary intake and menopausal symptoms, most studies have evaluated either only supplements or only specific nutrients or foods. Therefore, this study aimed to provide a systematic review of the literature regarding the association between dietary intake and menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women. A systematic search was conducted across PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase to identify studies published between 2009 and 2019. We identified 3828 studies; after screening, 73 studies were reviewed and 19 of these investigated nutrient and food intake and eating patterns associated with the intensity of menopausal symptoms. Studies evaluating diet quality or dietary patterns showed an association between lower intensity of psychological symptoms, sleep disorders, and vasomotor, urogenital, and somatic symptoms and higher consumption of vegetables, whole grains, and unprocessed foods. Also, the intensity of these symptoms is associated with high-processed foods, saturated fats, and sugars. Regarding nutrient and/or specific food, the studies indicated an association between caffeine intake and type of fat intake and the intensity of menopausal symptoms. Dietary intake was found to be associated with the severity of menopausal symptoms; however, evidence for the association between dietary intake and menopausal symptoms is inconsistent and inconclusive, and is provided by a small number of studies.

摘要

尽管已有文献指出饮食摄入与绝经期症状之间的关系, 但大多数研究只评估了补充剂, 或者只评估了特定的营养素或者食物。本研究旨在就绝经后女性的饮食摄入与绝经症状之间的关系进行系统性的文献综述。通过PubMed/Medline、Web of Science、Scopus和Embase进行系统检索, 以确定2009年至2019年发表的研究。我们确定了3828项研究；筛选后, 对73项研究进行了回顾, 其中19项研究调查了绝经症状强度相关的营养和食物摄入以及饮食模式。评估饮食质量或饮食模式的研究表明, 较低强度的心理症状、睡眠障碍、血管舒缩、泌尿生殖和躯体症状与较高的蔬菜、全谷物和未加工食物的消耗存在关联。此外, 这些症状的强度与高加工食品、饱和脂肪酸和糖的摄入相关。关于营养和/或特定食物, 研究表明咖啡因摄入量和脂肪摄入的类型与绝经症状的强度之间存在联系。饮食摄入量与绝经症状的严重程度相关；然而, 饮食摄入与绝经症状之间的关系证据是不一致和不确定的, 只有少数的研究提供资料。

Keywords:

• Dietary intake
• food consumption
• menopausal symptoms
• postmenopausal women
• review

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Instituto Federal Goiano (IF GOIANO) and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Universidade de São Paulo (USP).

Potential conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Source of funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies.

Data availability statement

The dataset supporting the conclusions of this article is included within the article (and its additional file(s)).