The Association between Fat Taste Sensitivity, Eating Habits, and Metabolic Health in Menopausal Women

The aim of our study was to evaluate the associations between sensitivity to fat taste, eating habits and BMI value in a sample of menopausal Polish women. In a population of 95 women, fat taste thresholds with oleic acid were determined, allowing us to classify each woman as a hypersensitive or hyposensitive taster. Eating habits were assessed using a validated KomPAN questionnaire for food frequency. Dietary intake was evaluated based on a food diary. Selected biochemical parameters were measured using a Konelab20i biochemical analyzer. Anthropometric parameters and blood pressure were also measured. Twenty-two menopausal women were classified as hyposensitive to fat taste and 73 as hypersensitive. The hyposensitive tasters were significantly older (p = 0.006), with the majority of them (92%) being postmenopausal (p < 0.001); this group had significantly higher BMI values (p < 0.001) and other adiposity indicators compared to their hypersensitive counterparts. The hyposensitive tasters had higher blood pressure (systolic blood pressure; SBP p = 0.030; diastolic blood pressure; DBP p = 0.003), glucose (p = 0.011) and triacylglycerols levels than the hypersensitive tasters (p = 0.031). Almost half of them had diagnosed metabolic syndrome. Daily eating occasions were associated with low oral fatty acid sensitivity, irrespective of age (p = 0.041) and BMI value (p = 0.028). There were also significant associations between frequency of consumption of meats and eggs, as well as snacks and fast foods and low oral fatty acid sensitivity before adjustment for potential confounders (both associations p < 0.05), which remained after adjustment for age (both associations p < 0.05), but not after adjustment for BMI. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher BMI value (p = 0.003), along with postmenopausal status (p = 0.003), were associated with low fat taste sensitivity irrespective of age and consumed percentage energy from fat. Postmenopausal status and BMI are associated with low fat taste sensitivity. Fat hyposensitivity may also play a role in eating habits, leading to increased eating occasions and favoring certain types of food. These eating habits may determine increased body weight and the occurrence of metabolic syndrome in mid-life women, especially those who have undergone menopause and have been exposed to the physiological changes which are conducive to these relationships

Plasma fatty acid composition and some markers of dietary habits are associated with cardiovascular disease risk determined by an atherogenic plasma index in postmenopausal women

It is hypothesized that plasma proportion of selected fatty acids (FAs) and dietary habits are linked with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in postmenopausal women. Therefore, this study was designed to determine the association of plasma FA composition and markers of dietary habits with an atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), a predictor of CVD risk in postmenopausal women. In total, 87 postmenopausal women with an average age of 57 ± 7 years were recruited and their dietary intake, anthropometric and biochemical parameters, and FA status in total plasma lipid proportions were determined, showing that 65.5% of the participants had a high risk of CVD according to their AIP value. After adjusting for some confounders (age, body mass index, and physical activity level), the risk of CVD was only positively associated with the frequency of consumption of animal fat spreads (butter and lard) of terrestrial origin. Regarding the FA profile, CVD risk was positively associated with the percentages of vaccenic acid, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid, and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA; mainly n-7) in total FA, as well as the MUFA/SFA ratio in total plasma and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-16 activity (16:1/16:0 ratio). In contrast, the risk of CVD was negatively associated with percentages of α-linolenic acid, total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and PUFA/MUFA ratio in total plasma lipid, and the estimated activity of Δ5-desaturase (20:4/20:3 n-6 ratio). These results support the current recommendations to decrease the frequency of animal fat spread intake because it is associated with a reduced CVD risk based on AIP in postmenopausal women. In accordance with these plasma percentages of ALA, vaccenic acid, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid, PUFA, PUFA/MUFA ratio, and 16:1/16:0 ratio may be important parameters in CVD risk assessment

Inflammatory Potential of Diet Is Associated with Biomarkers Levels of Inflammation and Cognitive Function among Postmenopausal Women

In postmenopausal women (PW), estrogen depletion may predispose to cognitive decline through an increased risk of chronic inflammation. Unhealthy diets also appear to have an impact on the cognitive health of these women. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between inflammatory potential of the diet, levels of inflammatory biomarkers, and cognitive function in PW. In a population of 222 PW, energy intake-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DII) was used to assess the dietary inflammatory potential. Cognitive function was estimated using the Polish version of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), corrected by age and educational level. Selected biochemical inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, CRP; interleukin-6, IL-6; and tumor necrosis factor alpha, TNF-α) were measured by ELISA tests. PW with an anti-inflammatory diet (first tercile) had significantly higher MMSE, while BMI, percentage fat mass and TNFα concentration were significantly lower compared to those with the most proinflammatory diets (third tercile). Women with cognitive impairment had significantly higher IL-6 concentrations (4.1 (0.8) pg/mL vs. 2.5 (0.2) pg/mL, p = 0.004), and were less educated (12.7 (0.7) years vs. 14.1 (0.2) years, p = 0.03) and less physically active compared to cognitively normal women. PW with the most proinflammatory diets had increased odds of cognitive impairment compared to those with the most anti-inflammatory diets, even after adjustment (OR = 11.10, 95% confidence level; 95%CI: 2.22; 55.56; p = 0.002). Each one-point increase in E-DII (as a continuous value) was also associated with 1.55-times greater odds of cognitive impairment (95%Cl: 1.19; 2.02 p = 0.003) in this population. Dietary inflammation may increase the risk of cognitive impairment in PW, but future studies should include a more sensitive battery of tests to assess cognitive function in this population. Implementation of an anti-inflammatory dietary pattern in PW may help prevent cognitive decline