title: Good adherence to mediterranean diet can prevent gastrointestinal symptoms: A survey from Southern Italy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate how different levels of adherence to a mediterranean diet (MD) correlate with the onset of functional gastrointestinal disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  As many as 1134 subjects (598 M and 536 F; age range 17-83 years) were prospectively investigated in relation to their dietary habits and the presence of functional gastrointestinal symptoms. Patients with relevant chronic organic disease were excluded from the study. The Mediterranean Diet Quality index for children and adolescents (KIDMED) and the Short Mediterranean Diet Questionnaire were administered. All subjects were grouped into five categories according to their ages: 17-24 years; 25-34; 35-49; 50-64; above 64.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On the basis of the Rome III criteria, our population consisted of 719 (63.4%) individuals who did not meet the criteria for any functional disorder and were classified as controls (CNT), 172 (13.3%) patients meeting criteria for prevalent irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and 243 (23.3%) meeting criteria for prevalent functional dyspepsia (FD). A significantly lower adherence score in IBS (0.57 ± 0.23,P< 0.001) and FD (0.56 ± 0.24,P< 0.05) was found compared to CNT (0.62 ± 0.21). Females with FD and IBS exhibited significantly lower adherence scores (respectively 0.58 ± 0.24,P< 0.05 and 0.56 ± 0.22,P< 0.05) whereas males were significantly lower only for FD (0.53 ± 0.25,P< 0.05). Age cluster analyses showed a significantly lower score in the 17-24 years and 25-34 year categories for FD (17-24 years: 0.44 ± 0.21,P< 0.001; 25-34 years: 0.48 ± 0.22,P< 0.05) and IBS (17-24 years: 0.45 ± 0.20,P< 0.05; 24-34 years: 0.44 ± 0.21,P< 0.001) compared to CNT (17-24 years: 0.56 ± 0.21; 25-34 years: 0.69 ± 0.20).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low adherence to MD may trigger functional gastrointestinal symptoms, mainly in younger subjects. Moreover, with increasing age, patients tend to adopt dietary regimens closer to MD.
authors.affiliation: Francesco Paolo Zito, Barbara Polese, Letizia Vozzella, Antonietta Gala, Daniela Genovese, Viviana Verlezza, Fabiana Medugno, Martina Cargiolli, Paolo Andreozzi, Giovanni Sarnelli, Rosario Cuomo, Department of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, 80131 Campania, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco Paolo
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Zito
authors.affiliation: Francesco Paolo Zito, Barbara Polese, Letizia Vozzella, Antonietta Gala, Daniela Genovese, Viviana Verlezza, Fabiana Medugno, Martina Cargiolli, Paolo Andreozzi, Giovanni Sarnelli, Rosario Cuomo, Department of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, 80131 Campania, Italy.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Polese
authors.affiliation: Francesco Paolo Zito, Barbara Polese, Letizia Vozzella, Antonietta Gala, Daniela Genovese, Viviana Verlezza, Fabiana Medugno, Martina Cargiolli, Paolo Andreozzi, Giovanni Sarnelli, Rosario Cuomo, Department of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, 80131 Campania, Italy.
authors.forename: Letizia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vozzella
authors.affiliation: Francesco Paolo Zito, Barbara Polese, Letizia Vozzella, Antonietta Gala, Daniela Genovese, Viviana Verlezza, Fabiana Medugno, Martina Cargiolli, Paolo Andreozzi, Giovanni Sarnelli, Rosario Cuomo, Department of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, 80131 Campania, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonietta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gala
authors.affiliation: Francesco Paolo Zito, Barbara Polese, Letizia Vozzella, Antonietta Gala, Daniela Genovese, Viviana Verlezza, Fabiana Medugno, Martina Cargiolli, Paolo Andreozzi, Giovanni Sarnelli, Rosario Cuomo, Department of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, 80131 Campania, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Genovese
authors.affiliation: Francesco Paolo Zito, Barbara Polese, Letizia Vozzella, Antonietta Gala, Daniela Genovese, Viviana Verlezza, Fabiana Medugno, Martina Cargiolli, Paolo Andreozzi, Giovanni Sarnelli, Rosario Cuomo, Department of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, 80131 Campania, Italy.
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Verlezza
authors.affiliation: Francesco Paolo Zito, Barbara Polese, Letizia Vozzella, Antonietta Gala, Daniela Genovese, Viviana Verlezza, Fabiana Medugno, Martina Cargiolli, Paolo Andreozzi, Giovanni Sarnelli, Rosario Cuomo, Department of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, 80131 Campania, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Medugno
authors.affiliation: Francesco Paolo Zito, Barbara Polese, Letizia Vozzella, Antonietta Gala, Daniela Genovese, Viviana Verlezza, Fabiana Medugno, Martina Cargiolli, Paolo Andreozzi, Giovanni Sarnelli, Rosario Cuomo, Department of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, 80131 Campania, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonello
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santini
authors.affiliation: Francesco Paolo Zito, Barbara Polese, Letizia Vozzella, Antonietta Gala, Daniela Genovese, Viviana Verlezza, Fabiana Medugno, Martina Cargiolli, Paolo Andreozzi, Giovanni Sarnelli, Rosario Cuomo, Department of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, 80131 Campania, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barrea
authors.affiliation: Francesco Paolo Zito, Barbara Polese, Letizia Vozzella, Antonietta Gala, Daniela Genovese, Viviana Verlezza, Fabiana Medugno, Martina Cargiolli, Paolo Andreozzi, Giovanni Sarnelli, Rosario Cuomo, Department of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, 80131 Campania, Italy.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cargiolli
authors.affiliation: Francesco Paolo Zito, Barbara Polese, Letizia Vozzella, Antonietta Gala, Daniela Genovese, Viviana Verlezza, Fabiana Medugno, Martina Cargiolli, Paolo Andreozzi, Giovanni Sarnelli, Rosario Cuomo, Department of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, 80131 Campania, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Andreozzi
authors.affiliation: Francesco Paolo Zito, Barbara Polese, Letizia Vozzella, Antonietta Gala, Daniela Genovese, Viviana Verlezza, Fabiana Medugno, Martina Cargiolli, Paolo Andreozzi, Giovanni Sarnelli, Rosario Cuomo, Department of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, 80131 Campania, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sarnelli
authors.affiliation: Francesco Paolo Zito, Barbara Polese, Letizia Vozzella, Antonietta Gala, Daniela Genovese, Viviana Verlezza, Fabiana Medugno, Martina Cargiolli, Paolo Andreozzi, Giovanni Sarnelli, Rosario Cuomo, Department of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Endocrinology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, 80131 Campania, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cuomo
keywords: Dietary regimen; Functional dyspepsia; Functional gastro-intestinal disorders; Irritable bowel syndrome; Mediterranean diet