Abstract A156: Fruit and vegetable consumption and metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal African American women

Abstract Background: African Americans experience a variety of cancer disparities and also tend to consume less fruits and vegetables (FV) than other racial/ethnic groups. FV intake is associated with lower risk of some cancers, higher micronutrient intake, higher fiber intake, and lower risk of MetS. Fiber and some micronutrients (e.g. Vitamins A, C, D, E, selenium, zinc) are associated with lower risk of some cancers. MetS is associated with higher risks of some cancers. Methods: This study uses baseline food frequency questionnaire data from the Focused Intervention on Exercise to Reduce CancEr (FIERCE) trial to examine the association of fruit and vegetable intake with MetS and micronutrient intake among postmenopausal African American women with abdominal obesity in the Washington, D. C. area (N=179). Analysis: Descriptive statistics were calculated for dietary and metabolic variables. Associations of MetS with daily FV intake and adherence to FV intake guidelines were assessed via Pearson’s Chi-squared test. Results: For the full sample, mean participant age was 57.6 years old, mean BMI was 36.0, and mean FV intake was 3.5 cups per day. Most participants (72%) did not consume the recommended 4.5 cups of FV per day. There were no significant sociodemographic differences or differences in MetS between those meeting recommendations and those who did not. Those who met recommendations consumed significantly more FV, 6.1 cups per day on average (SD=1.9; p<0.0001), compared to 2.4 cups per day (SD=1.0). Those who met recommendations had significantly higher intake of fiber (p<0.0001), as well as vitamins A (p<0.0001), B1 (p<0.0001), B2 (p<0.0001), B6 (p<0.0001), B12 (p=0.0002), C (p<0.0001), D (p <0.0001), selenium (p=0.0001), zinc (p<0.0001), magnesium (p<0.0001). Those meeting FV recommendations consumed significantly higher daily caloric intake than those who did not (2535.6 kcals, SD=1247.4 vs. 1577.9 kcals, SD=904.9). Discussion: The differences in micronutrient intake demonstrate the importance of meeting FV recommendations. With no differences in MetS, MetS components, or MetS z-score in these findings, the differences in caloric intake warrant further examination. These findings suggest that FV intake alone is not sufficient to address metabolic dysfunction. The 2535.6 kcals/day consumed by those meeting FV recommendations exceed the age-/gender-specific caloric guidance. Adding fruits and vegetables to existing caloric intake rather than substituting fruits and vegetables for other calorically dense foods may create excessive overall caloric intake and influence weight outcomes, which may explain the lack of differences in MetS. Despite the lack of significant differences in MetS, the differences in fiber intake and specific micronutrients may still provide important protection against cancer. Health promotion and cancer prevention efforts should emphasize fruits and vegetables for micronutrient intake with the added context of calorie balance both to improve metabolic health and to reduce cancer risk. Citation Format: Allison N. Marshall, Jialing Zhu, Chiranjeev Dash, Mireille Bright, Jennifer Hicks, Mary Mills, Lucile L. Adams-Campbell. Fruit and vegetable consumption and metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal African American women [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 18th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities; 2025 Sep 18-21; Baltimore, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(9 Suppl):Abstract nr A156.