Inflammation-oriented dietary pattern and menopause timing in postmenopausal women: evidence from the Health and Retirement Study.

OBJECTIVE: To develop an inflammation-oriented dietary pattern among postmenopausal women using data from the Health and Retirement Study, examine its association with inflammatory biomarkers, and secondarily explore menopause timing-related differences in the dietary score.

METHODS: This study included 1,426 postmenopausal women. Natural dietary patterns were identified using principal component analysis based on intake data for 40 food groups from the 2013 Health Care and Nutrition Survey; Subsequently, using log-transformed C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 as response variables, we employed reduced-rank regression to extract inflammation-oriented dietary patterns and construct standardized scores. Multivariate linear regression was used to analyze the association between dietary scores and inflammatory markers, and to further explore the contribution of menopausal status and food groups.

RESULTS: Principal component analysis identified three natural dietary patterns. The reduced-rank regression inflammation-oriented dietary pattern was characterized by higher intakes of processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, and refined grains, along with lower intakes of nuts, fish and seafood, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Higher reduced-rank regression inflammation-oriented dietary scores were positively correlated with log C-reactive protein, log interleukin-6, and log soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 levels. Exploratory analyses showed that women with premature or early menopause had higher inflammation-oriented dietary scores, accompanied by higher log IL-6 levels; however, the association between the timing of menopause and inflammatory markers was inconsistent, and it did not significantly modify the relationship between dietary scores and inflammatory markers.

CONCLUSION: Among postmenopausal women in the HRS, the reduced-rank regression inflammation-oriented dietary score was associated with multiple inflammatory markers, primarily reflecting a dietary pattern characterized by higher intake of processed/refined foods and lower intake of plant-based foods, fish, and whole grains. Women who experienced earlier menopause may have higher reduced-rank regression inflammation-oriented dietary scores; however, these findings require further validation through longitudinal studies and in external cohorts.