Publication:

Study of association of metabolic syndrome and its components in premenopausal and postmenopausal Indian females

Background The metabolic syndrome (MS) consists of constellation of metabolic abnormalities that increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes mellitus.Studies show that CVD is one of the major causes of death in postmenopausal women.  Our aim was to study the association of Metabolic Syndrome and its components in premenopausal and postmenopausal Indian females.

Methods It was an Observational study. We enrolled 100 females who came to medical OPD. Out of 100 females enrolled, 49 were in premenopausal stage (Group I) and remaining 51 had attained menopause (Group II).

Results Age of a woman ranged from 22 to 72 years with a mean age of 41.94 ± 11.33 years. According to IDF criteria, 76.5% of postmenopausal women had MS compared to 51.0% of premenopausal women (P = 0.008).Waist circumference (P = 0.027) as well as WHR was significantly higher in Group II. Regular physical activity was higher in Group I (38.8%) as compared to Group II (27.5%) but the difference was not significant statistically. Majority of women in both the groups were vegetarians, statistically there was no significant difference between groups with respect to dietary preference (P = 0.139). Mean total cholesterol levels, VLDL, triglyceride, LDL, Fasting blood sugar levels were higher in Group II, however, the difference was significant statistically with respect to total cholesterol and LDL only.

Conclusions In our study, menopause, diet and exercise were found to be significantly associated with MS. Diet and exercises are the modifiable risk factors that can be modified by restricting calories and increasing physical activity.