Relationship between eating behaviours and food and drink consumption in healthy postmenopausal women in a real-life context

Abstract

Associations between eating behaviours and dietary variables have not been thoroughly investigated in healthy postmenopausal women in a real-life uncontrolled context. To investigate how eating behaviours (cognitive dietary restraint, disinhibition and susceptibility to hunger) were associated with food and drink consumption, energy density and meal pattern in 112 healthy postmenopausal women (age 56·8 (sd 4·4) years) not on hormonal therapy. Women completed a 3 d weighed food record and filled out the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire. The sample was divided according to the median of the distribution of cognitive dietary restraint and disinhibition (9 and 6 respectively). Both subgroups of women with high restraint level (presenting either high or low disinhibition) consumed a diet with a lower energy density than subgroups of women with lower restraint level. Women with high restraint–low disinhibition had a lower consumption of red meat and processed meat and a lower consumption of diet soft drinks than women with low restraint–high disinhibition. They were also characterised by a higher intake of whole grains than women with high restraint–high disinhibition and than women with lower restraint level (with either high or low disinhibition). Women with high restraint–high disinhibition levels showed differences in dietary variables when compared with subgroups of women with lower restraint level, namely for refined grains and diet soft drinks. We conclude that in healthy postmenopausal women, dietary consumption of specific food and drink may be related to particular eating behaviours. Women with high restraint and low disinhibition levels generally showed the most healthy dietary pattern.