title: Mediterranean dietary components and body mass index in adults: the peel nutrition and heart health survey.
abstract: Diet is a lifestyle factor that contributes to the risk of overweight/obesity and cardiovascular disease. The objective of this study was to examine the hypothesis that a Mediterranean-type dietary pattern (M) is associated with healthy body weights in a large suburban municipality in Ontario. A random cross-sectional sample of 759 adults, 18 to 65 years of age, participated in a telephone survey, which included questions on the frequency of consumption of 60 food categories. Principal components analysis showed that food categories aggregated into six low-order dietary factors and two high-order dietary patterns. The M pattern reflected higher consumption of fruits and vegetables, olive oil and garlic, and fish and shellfish. The non-M pattern reflected high fat/nutrient poor, meats and poultry, and foods high in added sugars. The M-score was inversely related to body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.027). After adjustment for gender, education, income and marital status, a higher M-score predicted a lower BMI in the 40 to 49 year age group. Heart health promotion strategies aimed at preventing adult obesity should emphasize components of a Mediterranean-type diet pattern.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Studies and Gerontology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: Mamdouh M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Shubair
authors.forename: R Stephen
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: McColl
authors.forename: Rhonda M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Hanning
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004034:Diet Surveys; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D005260:Female; D005502:Food / Q000145:classification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000208:ethnology*; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors