Dietary Factors Associated with Metabolic Syndrome Status in Korean Menopausal Women: Based on the 2016 ~ 2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Objectives: This study evaluated dietary behavior and nutritional status according to the metabolic syndrome status in Korean menopausal women. Methods: The subjects were 1,392 menopausal women aged 50 to 64 who took part in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2016 and 2017. Subjects were classified into normal (NOR) group, pre-metabolic syndrome (Pre-MetS) group, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) groups according to the number of metabolic syndrome risk factors present. Results: The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 33.7%. Using the NOR group as a reference, the odds of belonging to the MetS group in Model 1 adjusted for age were higher at 53% (OR = 1.53, 95% CI:1.011-2.307) for ‘not used’ subjects compared to ‘used’ subjects of the nutrition labeling system. Using the NOR group as a reference, every 1g increase in the intake of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) decreased the odds of belonging to the MetS group in Model 1 adjusted for age by 3% (MUFA, OR = 0.97, 95% CI:0.946-0.991; PUFA, OR = 0.97, 95% CI:0.942-0.993). Conclusions: These results suggest that to reduce the number of risk factors of metabolic syndrome in menopausal women, nutritional education should emphasize the adequate intake of riboflavin, unsaturated fatty acids, protein, and calcium, and also encourage the recognition and use of nutritional labeling. Results of this study are expected to be utilized as basic data for the health management of menopausal women.