Menopausal age, nutritional status and components of the metabolic syndrome in Spanish women

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women, that situation is modulated by onto genetic development processes, especially those related to the menopausal transition. The aim of this work was to associate the age of menopause with nutritional status and the presence of components of the metabolic syndrome. A total of 332 Spanish women participated (mean age: 58.17 +/- 6.31 years). Weight, height, waist circumference, hip circumference and subcutaneous skinfold were measured, estimating Body Mass Index, waist-height, waist-hip and body composition variables: percentage of fat, fat mass and total and relative fat-free mass. Blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels were taken, obtaining the cardiovascular risk score by Framingham. The mean age of menopause (50.28 +/- 2.91 years) was estimated by retrospective method, categories were established: early (<49.28 years), middle (49.28 to 51.28 years) and late (>51.28 years). In addition, it was categorized according to the World Health Organization, considering early (<45 years) or normal menopause (>= 45 years). T-Student, U Man-Whitney, ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied for the comparison of means and Chi-square for the contrast of proportions. Women with early menopause showed higher adiposity and centralized fat accumulation pattern, while their relative musculoskeletal component was low. Blood pressure, serum cholesterol and glucose levels are all higher in early menopause; consequently, early menopause presents greater cardiovascular risk. The prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolennia and hyperglycemia decrease progressively between early and late menopause.