The effects of dietetic therapies on depression, weight gain, cholesterol levels, hot flashes and bloating with reference to menopause

Pages: 893-897
Shefali Kamal Kumar and N.R. Mrinal (Department of Psychology, Nagpur University, Nagpur, Maharashtra)

To find out which type of dietetic intervention(s) can assuage the selected symptoms of menopause, as compared to each other and a control group. A sample of 200 menopausal (peri-menopausal & post-menopausal women) was selected from Nagpur city (urban area). The subjects were then divided into four groups (n=50 each group), three experimental and one control and the three experimental groups were assigned three different, six weeks long dietary interventions, namely the high protein dietary intervention, the high frequency dietary intervention and the traditional weight loss dietary intervention. The data were collected before and after the dietary programs and complied into a 2X4 ANOVA design with the pre and post test results being analyzed with the Student’s t test. The post-hoc Tukey’s test was employed to then differentiate between the efficacies of each dietary intervention. The three different types of diets demonstrated positive results for the different variables. The high protein dietary intervention was seen to have the most positive effect on depression, cholesterol levels, hot flashes and bloating, while the high frequency dietary intervention had a positive result on hot flashes and bloating and the traditional weight loss dietary intervention had a positive effect on depression and bloating. Depending on the most pressing symptom(s) presented by the menopausal woman, any of the three dietary interventions can be used to help relieve her distress. Food as a medium of alleviating the distress caused by menopause can have a statistically significant effect and should be preferred to medications.