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Persistent Moderate-to-Weak Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Low Scoring for Plant-Based Foods across Several Southern European Countries: Are We Overlooking the Mediterranean Diet Recommendations?

ABSTRACT: The Mediterranean diet (MD) has been sponsored worldwide as a healthy and sustainable diet. Our aim was to update and compare MD adherence and food choices across several Southern European countries: Spain (SP), Portugal (PT), Italy (IT), Greece (GR), and Cyprus (CY) (MED, Mediterranean), and Bulgaria (BG) and the Republic of North Macedonia (NMK) (non-MED, non-Mediterranean). Participants (N = 3145, ≥18 y) completed a survey (MeDiWeB) with sociodemographic, anthropometric, and food questions (14-item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener, 14-MEDAS). The MED and non-MED populations showed moderate (7.08 ± 1.96) and weak (5.58 ± 1.82) MD adherence, respectively, with significant yet small differences across countries (SP > PT > GR > IT > CY > BG > NMK, p-value < 0.001). The MED participants scored higher than the non-MED ones for most of the Mediterranean-typical foods, with the greatest differences found for olive oil (OO) and white meat preference. In most countries, ≥70% of the participants reported quantities of red meat, butter, sweet drinks, and desserts below the recommended cutoff points, whereas <50% achieved the targets for plant-based foods, OO, fish, and wine. Being a woman and increasing age were associated with superior adherence (p-value < 0.001), but differences were rather small. Our results suggest that the campaigns carried out to support and reinforce the MD and to promote plant-based foods have limited success across Southern Europe, and that more hard-hitting strategies are needed.

SUBMITTER: Quarta S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8145023 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Persistent Moderate-to-Weak Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Low Scoring for Plant-Based Foods across Several Southern European Countries: Are We Overlooking the Mediterranean Diet Recommendations?

Quarta Stefano S Massaro Marika M Chervenkov Mihail M Ivanova Teodora T Dimitrova Dessislava D Jorge Rui R Andrade Vanda V Philippou Elena E Zisimou Constantinos C Maksimova Viktorija V Smilkov Katarina K Ackova Darinka Gjorgieva DG Miloseva Lence L Ruskovska Tatjana T Deligiannidou Georgia Eirini GE Kontogiorgis Christos A CA Sánchez-Meca Julio J Pinto Paula P García-Conesa María-Teresa MT

Nutrients 20210423 5

The Mediterranean diet (MD) has been sponsored worldwide as a healthy and sustainable diet. Our aim was to update and compare MD adherence and food choices across several Southern European countries: Spain (SP), Portugal (PT), Italy (IT), Greece (GR), and Cyprus (CY) (MED, Mediterranean), and Bulgaria (BG) and the Republic of North Macedonia (NMK) (non-MED, non-Mediterranean). Participants (<i>N</i> = 3145, ≥18 y) completed a survey (MeDiWeB) with sociodemographic, anthropometric, and food quest ...[more]

PMID: 33922771

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Project description:Ultra-processed foods are associated with chronic diseases, cardiometabolic factors and obesity. According to the NOVA system, foods are classified into four categories (from 1 = unprocessed to 4 = ultra-processed foods). The purpose of the present study was to assess the consumption of minimally processed foods (MPF) and ultra-processed foods (UPF) in university students and their relationship with obesity, Mediterranean diet adherence and meal patterns. In total, 346 students (269 women) of the University of Peloponnese participated. A food frequency questionnaire was used, and the MedDietScore was calculated. The % energy contribution of MPF and UPF was calculated. The identification of meal patterns was performed via principal component analysis. Both multivariate regression and Spearman's correlations were used to measure the association of UPF/MPF consumption with anthropometric indices (body mass index, BMI and waist circumference, WC), Mediterranean diet adherence and early/late meal patterns. UPF and MPF provided 40.7 ± 13.6% and 44.3 ± 11.9% (mean ± standard deviation) of energy intake, respectively. In multi-adjusted linear regression models UPF consumption (% energy) was positively associated with WC in men but it was not related to BMI (total sample, men, women). UPF consumption was negatively related to the MedDietScore (Spearman rho = -0.214, p < 0.001) and an "early eating" pattern (Spearman rho = -0.120, p = 0.029) and positively associated with a "late eating" meal pattern (Spearman rho = 0.190, p = 0.001). MPF consumption was positively associated with the MedDietScore (Spearman rho = 0.309, p < 0.001) and an "early eating" pattern (Spearman rho = 0.240, p < 0.001). In conclusion, UPF consumption was positively related to WC in male university students. Nutritional and sociodemographic correlates of UPF consumption, such as low Mediterranean diet adherence and having a "late eating" pattern serve as a basis to better understand the UPF consumption-central obesity relation in young adults and should be considered in nutrition education programs for young adults.

Dataset Information

Persistent Moderate-to-Weak Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Low Scoring for Plant-Based Foods across Several Southern European Countries: Are We Overlooking the Mediterranean Diet Recommendations?

Publications

Persistent Moderate-to-Weak Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Low Scoring for Plant-Based Foods across Several Southern European Countries: Are We Overlooking the Mediterranean Diet Recommendations?

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