THE EFFECT OF DAILY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES CONSUMPTION ON BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) AND WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE OF MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN COVERED BY MEHRABAD HEALTH SERVICES CENTER

Background and Aim: Considering the prevalence of general obesity and abdominal obesity in middle-aged women, the purpose of this research was to study the relationship between the daily intake of fruits and vegetables with the above disorders.Methods: In practice, 180 middle-aged women were selected in the age range of 30 to 59 years old with the same conditions for lack of disease, non-drug use, non-smoking, moderate physical activity, etc. At first, waist circumference, height and weight were measured and BMI was calculated. Then, serving sizes of fruits and vegetables was taught to each of them and they were asked to servings of fruits (2 servings or more, less than 2 servings, rarely/never) and vegetables (3 servings or more, less than 3 servings, rarely/never) per day.Results: The results showed that increased daily intake of fruits and vegetables resulted in a significant reduction in BMI and waist circumference. For some middle-aged women, this relationship was not observed when examining their dietary pattern scores, it was found that, along with daily intake of fruits and vegetables, they followed a diet rich in sugar, fat and salt.Conclusion: Using enough fruits and vegetables in a daily diet combined with avoiding high calorie diet can be effective in preventing obesity and weight loss.

کلیدواژه ها:

Middle-aged women ، Body Mass Index ، waist circumference ، fruits ، vegetables