Association between the prevalence of obesity and adherence to the Mediterranean diet: the ATTICA study.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the prevalence of obesity in relation to adherence to a Mediterranean diet.


METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional survey that randomly enrolled 1514 men (18 to 87 y old) and 1528 women (18 to 89 y old) with no history of cardiovascular disease. Anthropometric indices were measured and frequency of various foods consumed during a usual week was recorded. Adherence to a Mediterranean diet was assessed by a diet score that incorporated the inherent characteristics of this diet.


RESULTS
Prevalences of overweight and obesity were 53% and 20% in men and 31% and 15% in women. An inverse relation was observed between diet score, waist-to-hip ratio (r = -0.31, P < 0.001), and body mass index (r = -0.4, P < 0.001) after adjusting for sex and age. Greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet (i.e., highest tertile) was associated with a 51% lower odds of being obese (odds ratio 0.49, 95% confidence interval 0.42 to 0.56) and a 59% lower odds of having central obesity (odds ratio 0.41, 95% confidence 0.35 to 0.47) compared with a non-Mediterranean diet (i.e., lowest tertile) after controlling for age, sex, physical activity status, metabolism, and other variables.


CONCLUSIONS
We observed an inverse relation between adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern and prevalence of obesity in a free-eating, population-based sample of men and women, irrespective of various potential confounders.
Panagiotakos
Demosthenes B
DB
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece. d.b.panagiotakos@usa.net
Chrysohoou
Christina
C
Pitsavos
Christos
C
Stefanadis
Christodoulos
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004034:Diet Surveys; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D000069463:Olive Oil; D010938:Plant Oils; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio
D000069463:Olive Oil; D010938:Plant Oils