Influence of Women Age on Berries Consumption: The Role of Liking and Properties of Berries as Determinants of Their Intake

Abstract

Due to the benefits of berries to health and aging in women and the fact that as women age, they are increasingly concerned about remaining healthy and looking young, the aim of this paper is to determine if the consumption of berries among women is influenced by their age; also, to identify if the reasons why berries are ingested vary with age. This study evaluated berries intake and motives of consumption of 240 adult women from Jalisco, Mexico, ranging from 18 to 65 years old, divided into three groups: Young Adult Women (YAW, from 18 to 35 years old), Middle-Aged Adult Women (MAW, from 36 to 55 years old) and Older Adult Women (OAW, from 56 to 65 years old). Berries (blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and blackberry) consumption was collected by an adapted Food Consumption Frequency Questionnaire validated for Mexican population, and intake reasons were assessed by a qualitative section. Spearman’s Correlations, ANOVA and Bonferroni test were done. While berries consumption lowers in the MAW group, it increases when women reach the advanced adulthood. YAW consumes berries mainly because of liking and OAW due to its properties. Only 60% of OAW consumes berries and frequency of consumption is occasional in all women, so policies to increase berries intake are needed.