PENGARUH PEMBERIAN DIET FLEKSITARIAN TERHADAP RASIO TRIGLISERIDA/HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN-CHOLESTEROL (TG/HDL-C) PADA MAHASISWI OBESITAS

Abstract

Female college students are commonly consuming high-fat and high-energy foods as a habit. It can cause obesity and changes in a metabolic profile that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in the long term. Previous studies revealed that plant-based flexitarian diets are effective in lowering triglycerides and increasing HDL-C. The ratio of TG/HDL-C is more effective than a simple lipid test to detect atherogenic lipid abnormalities. This study aims to analyze the effect of a flexitarian diet on the ratio of TG/HDL-C. This study used experimental research with a pre-post group design. Sixteen obese female students aged 19-25 years were chosen by purposive sampling method. Each group consists of 8 subjects taken by consecutive sampling. The treatment group was given nutrition education and a flexitarian diet of 1,500 kcal, Monday to Friday, for four weeks, while the control group was given nutrition education. Food intake was obtained using 24-hour recall, three times/week, and physical activity using the Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). statistical analysis using independent t-test, Mann Whitney, and paired t-test. Results showed decreased triglycerides 8.1 mg/dL and HDL-C 2.4 mg/dL and increased TG/HDL-C ratio 0.01 in the treatment group after being given a flexitarian diet but not significantly different from before the intervention (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference between the control group and the treatment group in the mean changes in TG, HDL-C, and TG/HDL-C ratio (p > 0.05). The conclusion was flexitarian diet can reduce triglycerides as well as HDL-C and increase the ratio of TG/HDL-C in obese female college students.