Adherence to Mediterranean diet and anthropometric and metabolic parameters in an observational study in the 'Alto Molise' region: the MOLI-SAL project.
OBJECTIVE
The Mediterranean diet is reportedly a healthy eating pattern with protective effects on chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and anthropometric and metabolic variables in a rural setting in southern Italy, in the context of a health screening initiative.


RESULTS
Five hundred and twenty-two healthy participants from the "Alto Molise" region in southern Italy were studied. Blood pressure, glucose, and total cholesterol were measured using automatic devices. Food intake was evaluated with a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire, and the Mediterranean adequacy index (MAI) was calculated. The median value of MAI in the population studied was 3.0 (1.5-5.4) in men and 2.4 (1.2-5.1) in women. In women, the stronger contributors to MAI were dairy products (42.5%), sweets (29.3%) and meat (19.4%), while in men they were cereals (39.1%), meat (18.6%), dairy products (16.9%) and sweets (16.1%). In multiple linear regression analysis MAI was positively associated with age in both sexes (P=0.0044 in men and P=0.0054 in women) and with systolic blood pressure in women (P=0.012). After stratification of women by age, systolic blood pressure was significantly associated with MAI only in older persons (P=0.040) but not at younger ages (interaction effect P<0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Adherence to the Mediterranean diet depends on age, possibly because in younger people the traditional Mediterranean style diet is decreasing, even in rural areas of southern Italy. Age also influences the association between MAI and metabolic variables such as systolic blood pressure in women.
di Giuseppe
Romina
R
Laboratory of Genetic and Environmental Epidemiology, Research Laboratories, John Paul II Centre for High Technology Research and Education in Biomedical Sciences, Catholic University, Largo Gemelli 1, 86100 Campobasso, Italy.
Bonanni
Americo
A
Olivieri
Marco
M
Di Castelnuovo
Augusto
A
Donati
Maria Benedetta
MB
de Gaetano
Giovanni
G
Cerletti
Chiara
C
Iacoviello
Licia
L
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000886:Anthropometry; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D004032:Diet / Q000639:trends; D004034:Diet Surveys; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires