What is the influence of menopausal status on metabolic profile, eating behaviors, and perceived health of obese women after weight reduction?

The duration of the numerous weight-loss studies that combine physical activity and diet varies from 3 to 14 months, and these studies have often considered pre- and postmenopausal women separately. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a 3-week weight-reducing program that combines caloric restriction and exercise on the metabolic profile, eating behaviors, and perceived health of sedentary obese pre- and postmenopausal women, after adjustment for age. In 10 pre- and 22 postmenopausal women, before and after weight loss, body composition, fasting lipid-lipoprotein profile, glucose and insulin levels, eating behaviors, and perceived health state were assessed. Body mass index, fat mass, and waist girth decreased after weight reduction in both groups (p < 0.0001). Reductions in fasting serum cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels were greater in pre- than in postmenopausal women (p < 0.0001), whereas triacylglycerol, glucose, and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels decreased similarly in both groups (p < 0.05). Neither fasting insulin nor free fatty-acid concentrations were modified after weight loss in either group. Disinhibition (p < 0.005) and hunger scores on the three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ) (p < 0.05) and the state-anxiety score on the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) questionnaire (p < 0.0005) decreased in both groups, but restriction (TFEQ) increased (p < 0.01) and trait anxiety (STAI) decreased (p < 0.001) after weight reduction only in premenopausal women. Improvements in selected lipid-lipoprotein indices, eating behaviors, and perceived health-state components were better in pre- than in postmenopausal women, suggesting that menopausal status has an influence on some metabolic and behavioral responses to weight loss.