ABSTRACT
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This chapter examines the evidence for sex-specific dietary recommendations for the prevention and treatment of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in women. Women with the MetS are at an increased risk for developing T2DM [1,2], so rather than discussing all forms of diabetes, we have chosen to focus in particular on T2DM. A central feature of the MetS, which has also been linked to increased incidence of T2DM, is abdominal obesity. While this is briefly discussed in the section on the etiology of the MetS and T2DM, it was not the purpose of this chapter to review the literature on women, nutrition, and abdominal obesity. The reader is referred to Chapter 7 for this discussion. This chapter discusses present nutrition knowledge pertaining to the MetS and T2DM, with an emphasis on findings relevant to women.
