Abstract
Objective: The 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 setting: Data 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. Subjects: Subjects 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. Results: In 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. Conclusions: Adherence to the major characteristics of the Mediterranean diet is unrelated to BMI and WHR, confirming previous data from Greece and Spain.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 214-217 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Public Health Nutrition |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2008 |
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Keywords
- Body mass index
- Italy
- Mediterranean diet
- Obesity
- Overweight
- Waist-to-hip ratio
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Food Science
Cite this
Mediterranean diet in relation to body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio. / Rossi, Marta; Negri, Eva; Bosetti, Cristina; Dal Maso, Luigino; Talamini, Renato; Giacosa, Attilio; Montella, Maurizio; Franceschi, Silvia; La Vecchia, Carlo.
In: Public Health Nutrition, Vol. 11, No. 2, 02.2008, p. 214-217.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Mediterranean diet in relation to body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio
AU - Rossi, Marta
AU - Negri, Eva
AU - Bosetti, Cristina
AU - Dal Maso, Luigino
AU - Talamini, Renato
AU - Giacosa, Attilio
AU - Montella, Maurizio
AU - Franceschi, Silvia
AU - La Vecchia, Carlo
PY - 2008/2
Y1 - 2008/2
N2 - Objective: The 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 setting: Data 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. Subjects: Subjects 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. Results: In 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. Conclusions: Adherence to the major characteristics of the Mediterranean diet is unrelated to BMI and WHR, confirming previous data from Greece and Spain.
AB - Objective: The 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 setting: Data 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. Subjects: Subjects 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. Results: In 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. Conclusions: Adherence to the major characteristics of the Mediterranean diet is unrelated to BMI and WHR, confirming previous data from Greece and Spain.
KW - Body mass index
KW - Italy
KW - Mediterranean diet
KW - Obesity
KW - Overweight
KW - Waist-to-hip ratio
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=38149075379&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=38149075379&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S1368980007000833
DO - 10.1017/S1368980007000833
M3 - Article
C2 - 17686205
AN - SCOPUS:38149075379
VL - 11
SP - 214
EP - 217
JO - Public Health Nutrition
JF - Public Health Nutrition
SN - 1368-9800
IS - 2
ER -