Menopause and age-driven changes in blood level of fat- and water-soluble vitamins.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess the association of the menopausal transition with changes in vitamins.

METHODS

The study group comprised women aged 17-85 years from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which was conducted between 1988 and 1994, and from the NHANES surveys conducted between 1999 and 2006. Menopausal status was defined using the time since the last period, < 2, 2-12, and > 12 months, for the pre-, peri-, and postmenopause, respectively. The data-cleaning technique employing serum follicle stimulating hormone activity resulted in pre-, peri- and postmenopausal samples encompassing the following age brackets: 17-50, 42-51, and 46-85 years. Statistical inferences were analyzed using non-parametric techniques.

RESULTS

Significant increases in vitamin A and vitamin E concentrations across all phases of the menopausal transition were observed. There was a gradual decrease in the vitamin C concentration across all stages of the menopause but a fairly stable concentration of vitamin B12. There was a statistically significant increase in vitamin D between the pre- and postmenopause. Body mass index correlated negatively with serum vitamin concentration in the pre- and postmenopause.

CONCLUSIONS

Vitamin A should be supplemented in postmenopausal women to decrease the risk of bone fracture. The daily diet should be supplemented with vitamin B12, to avoid possible neurological symptoms due to vitamin B12 deficiency, and with vitamin D to decrease the risk of developing secondary hyperparathyroidism. Due to an adverse influence on serum vitamin concentration, body mass index should be monitored in pre- and postmenopausal women.