Association between inflammatory potential of diet and risk of depression in middle-aged women: the Australian longitudinal study on women's health

Dietary factors and inflammation markers have been shown to play a role in the development of depression. However, there are very few studies that have explored the association between inflammatory potential of diet and risk of depression. In this study, we examined the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII), which was developed specifically to measure the inflammatory potential of diet, and risk of depression in the middle-aged cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. A total of 6438 women with a mean age of 52·0 (sd 1·4) years at baseline were followed-up at five surveys over 12 years (2001-2013). Depression was defined as a score of ≥10 on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression-10 scale. The DII score, a literature-derived, population-based dietary index that has been validated against several inflammatory markers, was computed on the basis of dietary intake assessed using a validated FFQ. Generalised estimating equations were used to estimate relative risk (RR) of depression according to DII score. Models were adjusted for energy intake, highest education completed, marital status, menopause status and symptoms, personal illness or injury, smoking status, physical activity, BMI and depression diagnosis or treatment. In total, 1156 women (18 %) had scores≥10 on the CESD scale over the course of 9 years. Women with the most anti-inflammatory diet had an approximately 20 % lower risk of developing depression compared with women with the most pro-inflammatory diet (RRDII quartile 1 v. 4: 0·81; 95 % CI 0·69, 0·96; P trend=0·03). These results suggest that an anti-inflammatory diet is associated with lower risk of depression in middle-aged Australian women

A pro-inflammatory diet is associated with increased risk of developing hypertension among middle-aged women

Background and aims A pro-inflammatory diet is thought to lead to hypertension through oxidative stress and vessel wall inflammation. We therefore investigated the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and developing hypertension in a population-based cohort of middle-aged women. Methods and results The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health included 7169 Australian women, aged 52 years (SD 1 year) at baseline in 2001, who were followed up through 4 surveys until 2013. The DII, a literature-derived dietary index that has been validated against several inflammatory markers, was calculated based on data collected via a validated food-frequency questionnaire administered at baseline. Hypertension was defined as new onset of doctor-diagnosed hypertension, ascertained through self-report between 2001 and 2013. Generalised Estimating Equation analyses were used to investigate the association between the DII and incident hypertension. The analyses were adjusted for demographic and hypertension risk factors. During 12-years follow-up we identified 1680 incident cases of hypertension. A more pro-inflammatory diet was associated with higher risk of hypertension in dichotomised analyses with an OR of 1.24, 95% CI: 1.06–1.45. Conclusion A pro-inflammatory diet might lead to a higher risk of developing hypertension. These results need to be replicated in other studies

Treatment of Diabetes with Lifestyle Changes: Diet

The present chapter critically reviews scientific evidence on the impact of the diet and its components on the metabolic control, cardiovascular risk factors, and morbidity/mortality in diabetic patients. Three main topics are included in this chapter: (1) the effects of dietary treatment on body weight control in diabetic patients; (2) the optimal dietary composition in order to achieve blood glucose control and reduce other cardiovascular risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes; (3) the effects of lifestyle modifications and dietary changes on the risk to develop type 2 diabetes. The overall body of evidence seems to confirm the efficacy of current recommendations for diabetes management. However, although dietary strategies based on structured interventions are often successful, particularly in relation to body weight control, they are not easily applicable in clinical practice and, therefore, more feasible strategies should be identified. In addition, further intervention studies focused on the effects of lifestyle on hard endpoints in diabetic subjects are needed to definitively prove the role of diet in the prevention of both cardiovascular and microvascular complications in these patients over and above their impact on weight reduction

Body mass index and age at natural menopause: an international pooled analysis of 11 prospective studies

Current evidence on the association between body mass index (BMI) and age at menopause remains unclear. We investigated the relationship between BMI and age at menopause using data from 11 prospective studies. A total of 24,196 women who experienced menopause after recruitment was included. Baseline BMI was categorised according to the WHO criteria. Age at menopause, confirmed by natural cessation of menses for ≥ 12 months, was categorised as < 45 years (early menopause), 45–49, 50–51 (reference category), 52–53, 54–55, and ≥ 56 years (late age at menopause). We used multinomial logistic regression models to estimate multivariable relative risk ratios (RRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the associations between BMI and age at menopause. The mean (standard deviation) age at menopause was 51.4 (3.3) years, with 2.5% of the women having early and 8.1% late menopause. Compared with those with normal BMI (18.5–24.9 kg/m2), underweight women were at a higher risk of early menopause (RRR 2.15, 95% CI 1.50–3.06), while overweight (1.52, 1.31–1.77) and obese women (1.54, 1.18–2.01) were at increased risk of late menopause. Overweight and obesity were also significantly associated with around 20% increased risk of menopause at ages 52–53 and 54–55 years. We observed no association between underweight and late menopause. The risk of early menopause was higher among obese women albeit not significant (1.23, 0.89–1.71). Underweight women had over twice the risk of experiencing early menopause, while overweight and obese women had over 50% higher risk of experiencing late menopause

How do women\u27s diets compare with the new Australian dietary guidelines?

Objective To compare women\u27s diets with recommended intakes from the new Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG 2013). Design Cross-sectional study using data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women\u27s Health. Diet was assessed using a validated FFQ. Setting Two nationally representative age cohorts of Australian women. Subjects Women in the young cohort (born 1973-1978, aged 31-36 years) and mid-age cohort (born 1946-1951, aged 50-55 years). Women (n 18 226) were categorised into three groups: \u27young women\u27 (n 5760), young \u27pregnant women\u27 at the time or who had given birth in the 12 months prior to the survey (n 1999) and \u27mid-age women\u27 (n 10 467). Results Less than 2 % of women in all three groups attained the ADG 2013 recommendation of five daily servings of vegetables, with the majority needing more than two additional servings. For young women, less than one-third met recommendations for fruit (32%) and meat and alternatives (28 %), while only a small minority did so for dairy (12 %) and cereals (7 %). Fifty per cent of pregnant women met guidelines for fruit, but low percentages reached guidelines for dairy (22 %), meat and alternatives (10 %) and cereals (2·5 %). For mid-age women, adherence was higher for meat and alternatives (41 %) and cereals (45 %), whereas only 1 % had the suggested dairy intake of four daily servings. Conclusions For most women to follow ADG 2013 recommendations would require substantially increased consumption of cereals, vegetables and dairy. Findings have implications for tailoring the dissemination of dietary guidelines for women in different age groups and for pregnant women

Association between age at menarche and gestational diabetes mellitus: the Australian longitudinal study on women's health

In this study, we aimed to examine the association between age at menarche and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Data were from 4,749 women participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health between 2000 and 2012. Age at menarche was reported at baseline in 2000 when women were aged 22-27 years. During 12 years of follow-up, information on GDM diagnosis was obtained for each live birth. Log-binomial regression analysis was used to estimate relative risks and 95% confidence intervals. Analyses adjusted for mother's highest completed educational qualification, nulliparity, polycystic ovary syndrome, physical activity, and body mass index. Mean age at menarche was 12.9 years (standard deviation, 1.4). A first diagnosis of GDM was reported by 357 women (7.5%). Compared with women with menarche at age 13 years, women who had their first menstruation at age ≤11 years had a 51% higher risk of developing GDM (95% confidence interval: 1.10, 2.07) after adjustment for GDM risk factors. Our findings indicate that a young age at menarche may identify women at higher risk of GDM. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings and to elucidate the role of early-life exposures in age at menarche and subsequent GDM risk.</p

Association between age at menarche and gestational diabetes mellitus: the Australian longitudinal study on women\u27s health

In this study, we aimed to examine the association between age at menarche and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Data were from 4,749 women participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women\u27s Health between 2000 and 2012. Age at menarche was reported at baseline in 2000 when women were aged 22-27 years. During 12 years of follow-up, information on GDM diagnosis was obtained for each live birth. Log-binomial regression analysis was used to estimate relative risks and 95% confidence intervals. Analyses adjusted for mother\u27s highest completed educational qualification, nulliparity, polycystic ovary syndrome, physical activity, and body mass index. Mean age at menarche was 12.9 years (standard deviation, 1.4). A first diagnosis of GDM was reported by 357 women (7.5%). Compared with women with menarche at age 13 years, women who had their first menstruation at age ≤11 years had a 51% higher risk of developing GDM (95% confidence interval: 1.10, 2.07) after adjustment for GDM risk factors. Our findings indicate that a young age at menarche may identify women at higher risk of GDM. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings and to elucidate the role of early-life exposures in age at menarche and subsequent GDM risk

Association between inflammatory potential of diet and risk of depression in middle-aged women: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women\u27s Health

Dietary factors and inflammation markers have been shown to play a role in the development of depression. However, there are very few studies that have explored the association between inflammatory potential of diet and risk of depression. In this study, we examined the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII), which was developed specifically to measure the inflammatory potential of diet, and risk of depression in the middle-aged cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women\u27s Health. A total of 6438 women with a mean age of 52·0 (sd 1·4) years at baseline were followed-up at five surveys over 12 years (2001-2013). Depression was defined as a score of ≥10 on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression-10 scale. The DII score, a literature-derived, population-based dietary index that has been validated against several inflammatory markers, was computed on the basis of dietary intake assessed using a validated FFQ. Generalised estimating equations were used to estimate relative risk (RR) of depression according to DII score. Models were adjusted for energy intake, highest education completed, marital status, menopause status and symptoms, personal illness or injury, smoking status, physical activity, BMI and depression diagnosis or treatment. In total, 1156 women (18 %) had scores≥10 on the CESD scale over the course of 9 years. Women with the most anti-inflammatory diet had an approximately 20 % lower risk of developing depression compared with women with the most pro-inflammatory diet (RRDII quartile 1 v. 4: 0·81; 95 % CI 0·69, 0·96; P trend=0·03). These results suggest that an anti-inflammatory diet is associated with lower risk of depression in middle-aged Australian women