Plasma Carotenoid Levels in Relation to the Mediterranean Diet in Greece

2003 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 221-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trichopoulou ◽  
Benetou ◽  
Lagiou ◽  
Gnardellis ◽  
Stacewicz-Sapunzakis ◽  
...  

In the context of the Greek segment of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), we conducted a cross-sectional study to examine the effects of the intake of plant foods central in the traditional Mediterranean diet on plasma levels of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and lutein-zeaxanthin. Study subjects were a random sample of 45 men and 68 women, aged 30–82 years, from the Greek EPIC cohort of 27953 volunteers. Linear regression models were fitted, with the carotenoid blood levels as dependent variables. Independent variables were selected food items, as well as body mass index, controlling for energy intake and a set of demographic factors. Body mass index was inversely associated with plasma levels of the studied carotenoids. The association was highly significant for alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, significant for lutein-zeaxanthin, and borderline significant (p ~ 0.07) for lycopene. Tomato intake was significantly positively associated with plasma lycopene, and beta-carotene. Other fruity vegetables and non-fruity vegetables were significantly positively associated, the former with a-carotene and the latter with both alpha- and beta-carotene plasma levels. Fruits showed a highly significant positive association with plasma beta-cryptoxanthin, as well as with beta-carotene. No association was found between the intake of olive oil or other added lipids and plasma carotenoids. We conclude that among the studied components of the Mediterranean diet, fruits and vegetables tend to increase levels of some carotenoids, but olive oil has no apparent effect.

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 214-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Rossi ◽  
Eva Negri ◽  
Cristina Bosetti ◽  
Luigino Dal Maso ◽  
Renato Talamini ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveThe Mediterranean diet is rich in fat and starch, and hence may be related to overweight. We therefore investigated the relationship between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR).Design and settingData were obtained from the control group of a network of case–control studies on cancer conducted in major teaching and general hospitals in four Italian areas between 1991 and 2002. An interviewer-administered validated 78-item food-frequency questionnaire was used to obtain information on the subjects’ habitual diet. Information on socio-economic factors, lifestyle habits and anthropometric measures was also collected. A Mediterranean diet score (MDS) was derived on the basis of eight characteristics of the Mediterranean diet.SubjectsSubjects were 6619 patients (3090 men, 3529 women) admitted to hospital for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic conditions, unrelated to known risk factors for cancer and long-term modifications of diet.ResultsIn multiple linear regression models adjusted for age, study centre, education, tobacco smoking, occupational physical activity and total energy intake, the MDS was not related to BMI (β = 0.05 for men and −0.04 for women) or WHR (β = 0.000 and 0.001, respectively) in both sexes.ConclusionsAdherence to the major characteristics of the Mediterranean diet is unrelated to BMI and WHR, confirming previous data from Greece and Spain.


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1756 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zerón-Rugerio ◽  
Cambras ◽  
Izquierdo-Pulido

Obesity and unhealthy eating habits have been associated with irregular sleep–wake patterns during the week, also known as social jet lag. The Mediterranean diet is a healthy pattern related with a better health and sleep quality. However, potential associations with social jet lag remain unexplored. The aim of this study was to examine whether higher social jet lag is linked to lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet and whether it is associated with BMI (Body Mass Index). This cross-sectional study included 534 young adults (18–25 years). Anthropometric parameters, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, chronotype and social jet lag were studied. Our results revealed that individuals with greater social jet lag showed lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet and had a higher BMI. Among the habits that characterized the Mediterranean dietary pattern, we observed that higher social jet lag was significantly associated with a lower intake of fruits and vegetables, as well as skipping breakfast. Hence, the promotion of regular sleep habits together with healthy dietary patterns should be considered for obesity prevention, especially among young adults.


Author(s):  
Simona Iodice ◽  
Alessandro Ceresa ◽  
Cecilia Esposito ◽  
Francesco Mucci ◽  
Diana Conti ◽  
...  

Background: Both obesity and depression are medical conditions associated with severe disability and biological abnormalities. Our aim was to study associations between Body Mass Index (BMI), depression and biological changes in women affected by overweight or obesity. Methods: Depressive symptoms were evaluated by the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) questionnaire in 200 women affected by overweight/obesity (mean age of the sample 52.7 ± 12.9 years, BMI 33.8 ± 5.5 kg/m2). A blood sample was obtained for evaluation of biochemical (oxytocin and vitamin D), inflammatory and epigenetic (methylation of clock genes) parameters. Multivariable linear regression models were used to study the association between BMI or severity of depressive symptoms (BDI-II scores) with different biomarkers. Results: BMI was found to be associated with severity of depressive symptoms (p = 0.050). Severity of obesity resulted to be associated with lower plasma levels of oxytocin (p = 0.053), vitamin D deficiency (p = 0.006) and higher plasma levels of IFN-γ (p = 0.004), IL-6 (p = 0.013), IL-7 (p = 0.013), TNF-alpha (p = 0.036) and chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3) (p = 0.013, R2 = 0.03). Severity of depression was significantly associated with more methylation of clock genes CRY1 (p = 0.034, R2 = 0.16) and CRY2 (p = 0.019, R2 = 0.47). More severe depression together with higher levels of IL-8 strongly predicted lower methylation of CLOCK gene (p = 0.009); Conclusions: Different biological abnormalities have been found to be independently associated with BMI and severity of depressive symptoms in women affected by overweight/obesity. The complex interplay between overweight, depression and biological changes will have to be better clarified by future studies.


Author(s):  
Lotfi Rahal ◽  
Ahmed Ghouini

Background: Obesity is currently considered an increasingly more severe social and health-related problem. The World Health Organization qualified obesity as a chronic disease associated with several chronic complications such as circulatory diseases, diabetes, cancer, and respiratory diseases. Aims: We aim to establish the correlation between Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet MD and the anthropometric profile of obese Algerian subjects. Subjects and Methods: Our study included a cohort of 104 subjects. 47 subjects were at a normal weight and 57 subjects with an overweight (a body mass index BMI of 26 to 35 Kg/m2). Assessment of anthropometric profile took into account the BMI and body composition. The adherence to the MD was assessed using Mediterranean Diet Score MDS. Results: there is a positive correlation between adherence to MD and anthropometric parameters in obese subjects. Conclusions: The Mediterranean diet could positively impact comorbidities accompanying this disease that poses a major public health problem. Keywords: Obesity, Mediterranean Diet, anthropometric profile, body mass index, Mediterranean Diet Score.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 283
Author(s):  
Ana Bagues ◽  
Andrea Almagro ◽  
Teresa Bermúdez ◽  
Yolanda López-Tofiño ◽  
Antonio González ◽  
...  

Background: The Mediterranean Diet (MD) has been associated with a reduced risk of developing several pathologies, such as cardiovascular diseases. Despite this, adherence to MD in the general population has decreased in the past years. Due to COVID-19 crisis, eating habits of the population are being affected, thus data assessing these habits just before lockdown are important to determine how they are modified. The Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) questionnaire was used to evaluate adherence to MD just before COVID-19 lockdown.Methods: The KIDMED survey was launched through the Google platform for surveys, from 2/20/20 until 3/13/20. Additionally, questions about gender, weight and height for body mass index (BMI) calculation, academic degree, and nationality were included. Multivariate linear regression was performed for data analysis.Results: A total of 861 completed surveys were collected. Some surveys were discarded because data was missing (18), the participants were not of Spanish nationality (18), or because they did not belong to the age groups included in the study (19). The remaining 804 surveys were divided into the following age groups: 15-24 (n=160), 25-34 (n=158), 35-54 (n=363) and 55-69 (n=123). In the 15–24-year-old group, 71.9% had a BMI between 18-24.9, but only 28.1% reached an index ≥8 in the KIDMED questionnaire. Adherence to MD improved as the age in the groups increased, but so did the BMI, especially in the oldest group. In all adult groups, approximately 50% had a university education. Overall, lower BMI was significantly related to females, younger age and a higher degree of studies. On the other hand, the higher adherence to MD was related to older age and a higher degree of education.  Conclusions: The improved adherence to MD was not associated with a reduced BMI. Maybe other factors, like sedentary life or hormonal changes, known to impact people while aging, have influenced our results. Possibly, adherence to MD might have played a protective role, at least partially, against an even higher BMI. More research is needed to fully determine the impact of adherence to MD in the Spanish population, also after COVID-19 lockdown.Keywords: Mediterranean diet, KIDMED, Body mass index, Spain


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Ricardo Alves ◽  
Carla Lopes ◽  
Sara Rodrigues ◽  
Julian Perelman

Abstract Background: Adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been decreasing in southern Europe, which could be linked to several cultural or educational factors. Our aim is to evaluate the extent to which economic aspects may also play a role, exploring the relationship between food prices in Portugal and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Methods: We evaluated data from the Portuguese National Food, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Survey (IAN-AF 2015-2016) (n=3,591). Diet expenditures were estimated by attributing a retail price to each food group and the diet was transposed into the Mediterranean Diet Score used in the literature. Prices were gathered from five supermarket chains (65% of the Portuguese market share). Linear regression models were used to assess the association between different adherence levels to the MD levels and dietary costs. Results: Greater adherence to the MD was associated with a 21.2% (p< 0.05) rise in total dietary cost, which accounts for more 0.59€ in mean daily costs when compared with low adherence. High adherence individuals (vs. low adherence) had higher absolute mean daily costs with fish (0.62€/+285.8%; p< 0.05), fruits (0.26€/+115.8%; p< 0.05), and vegetables (0.10€/+100.9%; p< 0.05). The analysis stratified by education and income level showed significantly higher mean daily diet cost only amongst higher income groups. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that greater adherence to the MD was positively and significantly associated with higher total dietary cost. Policies to improve population’s diet should take into consideration the cost of healthy foods, especially for large low- and middle-income families.


Author(s):  
Gabriela Cárdenas-Fuentes ◽  
Camille Lassale ◽  
Miguel Ángel Martínez-González ◽  
María Grau ◽  
Jordi Salas-Salvadó ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Mechanisms underlying the associations of high levels of physical activity (PA) and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) with a better inflammatory profile remain unclear. Our objective was to assess the mediating role of changes in body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), as markers of body fat in the association of changes in PA and adherence to the MedDiet, with changes in the inflammatory profile. Method This study included 489 adults, aged 55–75 years, from the PREDIMED-Plus multicenter lifestyle intervention trial. An inflammatory score was calculated, based on 8 blood biomarkers: high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, interleukin 8, interleukin 18, monocyte chemo-attractant protein-1, C-peptide, leptin, and regulated on activation, normal T-cell–expressed and secreted chemokine. Biomarkers, levels of PA, score of MedDiet adherence, BMI, and WC were measured at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Linear regression models were fitted according to the Baron and Kenny framework for mediation analysis. Results Changes in BMI and WC mediated the association of both changes in PA and changes in the MedDiet adherence with the inflammatory score. Body mass index mediated 26% of the association of changes in total PA with the inflammatory profile, and 27% of the association of changes in the MedDiet, while WC mediated 13% and 12% of these associations, respectively. Conclusion In older adults at high cardiovascular risk, increasing PA levels and adherence to a MedDiet during 1 year were associated with a lower inflammatory score, which was partly mediated by a reduction in body fat. Clinical Trials Registration Number International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number: ISRCTN89898870; registration date July 24, 2014, retrospectively registered.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 995
Author(s):  
Theodoros Varzakas

The prevention and bioactivity effects associated with the so-called “Mediterranean diet” make olive oil the most consumed edible fat in the food intake of the Mediterranean basin [...]


PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. e0128218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Egeria Scoditti ◽  
Marika Massaro ◽  
Maria Annunziata Carluccio ◽  
Mariangela Pellegrino ◽  
Martin Wabitsch ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. e39-e39
Author(s):  
Jean-Baptiste Roberge ◽  
Soren Harnois-Leblanc ◽  
Vanessa McNealis ◽  
Andraea van Hulst ◽  
Tracie A Barnett ◽  
...  

Abstract Primary Subject area Public Health and Preventive Medicine Background The WHO provides body mass index (BMI) curves for infants 0 to &lt; 2 years old, but how these compare to the recommended method (weight-for-length [WFL]) in predicting later adiposity and cardiometabolic measures is uncertain. Objectives Our project aimed to: 1) confirm that WFL and BMI in infancy are associated with adiposity and cardiometabolic measures at 8-10 years old; and 2) compare the predictive ability of the two methods. We hypothesized that both methods would perform similarly. Design/Methods WFL and BMI Z-scores (zWFL and zBMI) at 6, 12, and 18 months of age were computed using data extracted from health booklets, used among participants in a prospective cohort study investigating the natural history of obesity and cardiovascular risk in youth (n = 464). Outcome measures at 8-10 years included adiposity, lipid profile, blood pressure, and insulin dynamics. The relationships between zWFL, zBMI, and each outcome were estimated using multivariable linear regression models. Outcome prediction at 8-10 years was compared between the two methods, using eta-squared and Lin’s concordance correlation. Results zWFL and zBMI were associated with all measures of adiposity at 8-10 years. Associations with other cardiometabolic measures were less consistent. For both zWFL and zBMI across infancy, eta-squared were highly similar and the Lin’s coefficients were markedly high (&gt; 0.991) for all outcomes. Conclusion zBMI measured in infants appeared to be equivalent to zWFL for predicting adiposity and cardiometabolic measures in childhood. This lends support to the sole use of zBMI for growth monitoring and screening of overweight and obesity from birth to 18 years.


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