Impact of ultra-processed food consumption on quality of life of menopausal women

Abstract

Background: Menopause is linked with many psychological, physical, and social changes that may profoundly impact the quality of life of women. The dietary patterns, especially the trend of rising consumption of ultra-processed foods, have been proposed to influence health outcomes, although their effect on menopausal quality of life remains underexplored. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional, survey-based research among 56 women aged 40 years and above residing in Punjab, north India. The study was conducted at the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences, over a period of 4 months (September 2025-December 2025). A food frequency questionnaire was used to measure the UPF intake based on the NOVA classification, and the menopausal quality of life (MENQOL) questionnaire to assess symptoms across vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual domains. Correlation analysis was done to find out the correlation between UPF consumption and MENQOL scores. Results: The mean UPF score was 12.41, while the mean total MENQOL score was 57.77. There was a weak positive correlation between UPF consumption and total MENQOL score (r=0.17). The psychosocial domain showed the highest correlation (r=0.20), followed by the vasomotor domain (r=0.15) and the physical domain (r=0.14), with the sexual domain showing negligible correlation (r=0.03). Conclusions: The study suggests a weak positive association between ultra-processed food and the quality of life among menopausal women. A relatively higher impact on the psychosocial well-being was associated with ultra-processed food consumption. Although the correlation is low, the findings suggest the possible role of dietary patterns in menopausal health and the need for further research in this field.