Association between adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and the Eatwell Guide and changes in weight and waist circumference in post-menopausal women in the UK Women’s Cohort Study

Abstract

Objective This study investigated the associations between adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and the Eatwell Guide (EWG) and changes in weight and waist circumference in post-menopausal women. Study Design Post-hoc analysis of post-menopausal women from the UK Women’s Cohort Study. Main outcome measures Changes in weight, waist circumference and the risk of abdominal and general obesity. Results 4162 post-menopausal women were selected. Higher adherence to both the EWG and the Mediterranean Diet was associated with smaller increases in waist circumference over 4 years (EWG: β −0.47, CI −0.75, −0.20 per 1 tertile increase in score), (Mediterranean Diet: β −0.29, CI −0.58, −0.01 per 1 tertile increase in score); and lower risk of abdominal obesity (EWG: OR 0.55, CI 0.43, 0.70 third versus the first tertile), (Mediterranean Diet: OR 0.60, CI 0.46, 0.76 third versus the first tertile), but was not associated with weight changes (EWG: β 0.14, CI −0.07, 0.36 per 1 tertile increase in score), (Mediterranean Diet: β 0.03, CI −0.19, 0.25 per 1 tertile increase in score) or risk of becoming overweight or obese (EWG: OR 1.09, CI 0.77, 1.52 third versus the first tertile), (Mediterranean Diet: OR 0.91, CI 0.65, 1.27 third versus the first tertile). Conclusions The results suggest that adherence to either the Mediterranean Diet or the EWG can help to prevent abdominal obesity in post-menopausal women.