title: Can Mediterranean diet really influence obesity? Evidence from propensity score matching.
abstract: Worldwide obesity rates have stimulated interest in healthy dietary patterns. One well-known dietary pattern is the Mediterranean diet, which has been linked with several beneficial health effects. However, concerns have also been raised regarding the Mediterranean diet's role in promoting weight gain. We explored the effect of the Mediterranean diet on body mass index using the propensity score matching approach. We found no statistically significant average treatment effect on the treated and therefore cannot confirm that a causal link exists between Mediterranean diet and body mass index.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Political Economy and European Integration, Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Development, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece. adrihout@aua.gr
authors.forename: Andreas C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Drichoutis
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lazaridis
authors.forename: Rodolfo M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Nayga
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D057216:Propensity Score; D055815:Young Adult