Journal List > Korean J Community Nutr > v.21(5) > 1038555

Kim: Associations between Eating Behavior and the Eating Patterns of Female College Students Across the Menstrual Cycle

Abstract

Objectives

The associations between the eating behavior and energy and macronutrient intake from meals and snacks consumed during different times of the day across the menstrual cycle were investigated in 74 healthy female college students.

Methods

A 9-day food record was collected during the last 3 days before menstrual onset (phase 1) and the first 3 days after menstrual onset (phase 2) and from the 4th to the 6th day after menstrual onset (phase 3), respectively. Anthropometry was assessed and eating behaviors were measured using the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ).

Results

External eating was the most prevalent type of eating behavior, followed by restrained eating and emotional eating. Restrained eating was positively associated with energy, carbohydrate and lipid intake at the breakfast and midmorning snack during phase 3. However, emotional eating was also positively related to energy and macronutrient intake at the dinner and after-dinner snack during phase 1 and phase 3, with higher level detected in the phase 1. The association of emotional eating with the snack consumption was highest in phase 1. External eating was positively associated with energy and macronutrient intakes at the dinner and after-dinner snack across the three phases, the highest level being phase 1. In addition, restrained eating was positively associated with the weight, body mass index(BMI), fat mass, waist and hip girth of the subjects.

Conclusions

Eating behaviors varied with regard to meals and snacks consumed during different times of the day across the three menstrual phases. Dinner and afterdinner snack consumption in premenstrual phase could be considered as a time when women are more prone to overconsumption and uncontrolled eating.

Figures and Tables

Table 1

General characteristics and DEBQ1) scores in subjects (n=74)

kjcn-21-405-i001

1) DEBQ: Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire

2) BMI: Body mass index

3) BFP: Body fat percentage

4) WHR: Waist hip girth ratio.

5) SBP: Systolic blood pressure

6) DBP: Diastolic blood pressure

Table 2

Comparison of the frequency of eating at different times of the day or meal type acoss the three menstrual phases

kjcn-21-405-i002

1) Phase 1: Last 3 days before menstrual onset.

2) Phase 2: First 3 days after menstrual onset.

3) Phase 3: Three days from 4th to 6th day after menstrual onset.

4) Values with the same letter within the same row are not significantly different at <0.05 by Duncan's multiple range test.

Table 3

Comparisons of mean energy and macronutrient intakes from different meal types of the three menstrual phases

kjcn-21-405-i003

1) Phase 1: Last 3 days before menstrual onset.

2) Phase 2: First 3 days after menstrual onset.

3) Phase 3: Three days from 4th to 6th day after menstrual onset.

4) MMS: Midmorning snack

5) MAS: Midafternoon snack

6) ADS: After-dinner snack

All values are not significantly different at p<0.05 by Duncan's multiple range test.

Table 4

Correlation between DEBQ1) scores and frequency of eating by different meal types across the three menstrual phases (n=74)

kjcn-21-405-i004

1) DEBQ: Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire

2) Phase 1: Last 3 days before menstrual onset.

3) Phase 2: First 3 days after menstrual onset.

4) Phase 3: Three days from 4th to 6th day after menstrual onset.

*: p<0.05, **: p<0.01

Table 5

Correlation between energy and macronutrient intake and DEBQ1) scores during Phase 12) of the menstrual phases (n=74)

kjcn-21-405-i005

1) DEBQ: Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire.

2) Phase 1: Last 3 days before menstrual onset.

3) MMS: Midmorning snack

4) MAS: Midafternoon snack

5) ADS: After-dinner snack

*: p<0.05, **: p<0.01, ***: p<0.001

Table 6

Correlation between energy and macronutrient intake and DEBQ1) scores during Phase 22) of the menstrual phases (n=74)

kjcn-21-405-i006

1) DEBQ: Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire.

2) Phase 2: First 3 days after menstrual onset.

3) MMS: Midmorning snack

4) MAS: Midafternoon snack

5) ADS: After-dinner snack

*: p<0.05, **: p<0.01

Table 7

Correlation between energy and macronutrient intake and DEBQ1) scores during Phase 32) of the menstrual phases (n=74)

kjcn-21-405-i007

1) DEBQ: Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire.

2) Phase 3: Three days from 4th to 6th day after menstrual onset.

3) MMS: Midmorning snack

4) MAS: Midafternoon snack

5) ADS: After-dinner snack

*: p<0.05, **: p<0.01.

Table 8

Correlation between anthropometry and DEBQ1) scores in subjects (n=74)

kjcn-21-405-i008

1) DEBQ: Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire

2) BMI: Body mass index

3) BFP: Body fat percentage

4) WHR: Waist hip girth ratio.

5) SBP: Systolic blood pressure

6) DBP: Diastolic blood pressure

*: p<0.05, **: p<0.01, ***: p<0.001

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Seok-Young Kim
https://orcid.org/http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9593-3465

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