Table 2.
Distribution of dietary factors among study subjects according to menopausal status
| Dietary variables | Total sample (n = 3,548) | Premenopausal (n = 811) | Postmenopausal (n = 2,737) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories (Kcal), Mean (SD1) | 2,053 (480) | 2,128 (485) | 2,031 (476) | <0.001 |
| Carbohydrates (g), Mean (SD1) | 226 (63) | 232 (63) | 224 (63) | 0.001 |
| Fats (g), Mean (SD1) | 85 (24) | 88 (26) | 83 (24) | <0.001 |
| Proteins (g), Mean (SD1) | 102 (24) | 105 (24) | 101 (24) | <0.001 |
| Alcohol (g), Mean (SD1) | 4.6 (8.7) | 4.5 (8.1) | 4.6 (8.9) | 0.777 |
| Dairy products (g), Mean (SD1) | 492 (245) | 489 (244) | 494 (246) | 0.610 |
| Whole milk (g), Mean (SD1) | 47 (138) | 60 (152) | 44 (133) | 0.003 |
| Semi-skimmed milk (g), Mean (SD1) | 130 (202) | 133 (207) | 129 (201) | 0.627 |
| Skimmed milk (g), Mean (SD1) | 106 (188) | 108 (192) | 106 (187) | 0.820 |
| Eggs (g), Mean (SD) | 19 (13) | 20 (11) | 18 (14) | 0.004 |
| White meat (g), Mean (SD1) | 34 (19) | 34 (19) | 33 (19) | 0.224 |
| Red meat (g), Mean (SD1) | 55 (36) | 64 (39) | 53 (34) | <0.001 |
| Processed meat (g), Mean (SD1) | 31 (20) | 35 (20) | 30 (20) | <0.001 |
| Blue fish (g), Mean (SD1) | 31 (24) | 30 (23) | 31 (24) | 0.186 |
| White fish (g), Mean (SD1) | 36 (21) | 33 (20) | 37 (22) | <0.001 |
| Vegetables (g), Mean (SD1) | 294 (129) | 282 (122) | 298 (131) | 0.002 |
| Fruit (g), Mean (SD1) | 431 (226) | 413 (212) | 436 (230) | 0.010 |
| Nuts (g), Mean (SD1) | 7.0 (10.3) | 6.8 (10.2) | 7.1 (10.3) | 0.369 |
| Legumes (g), Mean (SD1) | 33 (23) | 37 (24) | 32 (23) | <0.001 |
| Cereals and pasta (g), Mean (SD1) | 66 (40) | 69 (41) | 65 (40) | 0.004 |
| Potatoes (g), Mean (SD1) | 53 (32) | 49 (30) | 54 (32) | <0.001 |
| Sweets (g), Mean (SD1) | 33 (31) | 42 (38) | 30 (28) | <0.001 |
| Vegetable oil (g), Mean (SD1) | 26 (14) | 25 (15) | 26 (13) | 0.073 |
| Olive oil (g), Mean (SD1) | 24 (13) | 23 (15) | 24 (13) | 0.068 |
| Bread (g), Mean (SD1) | 98 (65) | 100 (64) | 97 (66) | 0.338 |
| Butter (g), Mean (SD1) | 0.3 (1.2) | 0.4 (1.6) | 0.2 (1.0) | <0.001 |
1
SD: Standard deviation.
2BMI: Body Mass Index.