[Dietary modification of body composition and fat tissue distribution in obese menopausal women]

The study was aimed at determining effects of health-oriented education in nutrition and the resultant changes in diet composition and dietary habits on body weight, values of BMI, WHR, and WHtR, body composition, and location of the lost fat tissue in obese menopausal women. The research was carried out in 2004-2007 and involved 146 women aged 46-60 years, with BMI >30.0 and >40.0, i.e., indicative of second and third degree obesity. The subjects were exposed to a 4-month-long education in nutrition. The classes were held once a week for 90 minutes, for groups of 20-22. The curriculum covered, i.a., information on the physiological role, sources of, and demand for basic nutrients, vitamins, macro- and micro-elements, and water; diet-based prevention of coronary diseases, insulin-independent diabetes, and diet-dependent cancer; and numerous other topics related to physiology and dietetics. The 4 months of health-oriented education in nutrition was found to be important in shaping dietary habits of the subjects, which was manifested as: development of a dietary pattern involving the magnitude and timings of meals, increased consumption of protein, whole-grain cereal products, pulses, fruits, and vegetables, accompanied by reduction in the consumption of sausages, sugar, and sweets. As a result, the women involved experiences a slow, but consistent body weight reduction as well as a decrease in the values of the body mass indices. Significant changes in body composition were found; the changes involved not only a significant reduction in fat per cent and increased percentage of fat-free body mass and water in the total body weight, but also an absolute reduction of body fat content, the absolute contents of fat-free mass and water remaining unchanged.