Tehran University of Medical Sciences Journal of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics 2 5 2017 01 02 81 81 EN Reza Mohseni Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Afsoun Abdollahi Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mir Saeed Yekaninejad Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Zhila Maghbooli Osteoporosis Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Khadijeh Mirzaei Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2017 04 27 2017 06 13 Background: To examine the association of combined dietary patterns with physical activity on sarcopenia in menopausal women. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 250 menopausal women aged 45–75 were studied. Dietary intakes were assessed with a validated 147-item food frequency questionnaire, and dietary patterns were identified by a principal component factor analysis method. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Sarcopenia was defined, according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) criteria, as the presence of low muscle mass, plus low muscle performance, or low physical strength. Results: two major dietary patterns were found: a prudent pattern (high in vegetable, vegetable oil, fish, dairy, legume, nut, animal protein and fruit), and a western pattern (high in commercial beverage, hydrogenated fat, sugar, sweet-snack, potato, tea-coffee and refined grain). After adjusting for age, we found a significant interaction between the western pattern and physical activity status with the odds of sarcopenia (P-interaction = 0.01) which was higher in active women than those who were inactive, but there was no significant difference between inactive and active participants in the prudent pattern (P-interaction = 0.90). Conclusion: increasing physical activity was associated with higher odds of sarcopenia in the western pattern among menopausal women. https://jnsd.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jnsd/article/view/81 https://jnsd.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jnsd/article/download/81/154