Abstract
Increased waist circumference (WC), a surrogate measure for abdominal fat mass, is associated with higher cardiovascular risk not only in adults but also in youth. Identifying healthy dietary patterns that prevent abdominal fat accumulation is of paramount importance for public health. This study investigated the association between adherence to Mediterranean diet guidelines and waist circumference in a representative national sample of young Spaniards (n=2513), aged 10 to 24 years. Dietary data were recorded through a 24-h recall, waist circumference measured by research staff, and adherence to Mediterranean diet guidelines determined with the 16-item KIDMED questionnaire, based on the principles sustaining Mediterranean dietary patterns. A questionnaire provided physical activity and demographic data. Higher KIDMED scoring was significantly associated with higher leisure time physical activity levels and higher maternal education. Multiple regression analysis showed that the KIDMED score was also inversely associated with age- and height-standardized residuals of waist circumference and with waist-to-height ratio (p=0.001). After multivariate adjustment, a 5-point increase in KIDMED was associated with a mean decline of 1.54 cm in sex-, age- and height-adjusted WC. These results suggest that following Mediterranean dietary principles may be important in reducing the risk of high waist circumference in young people.
Acknowledgements
We appreciate the English revision by Elaine M. Lilly, Ph.D. (Writers First Aid). This work was supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III-FEDER, (PI080439 and “Miguel Servet” ISCIII CP 03/00115), the Spanish Ministry of Health (RED: Alimentación saludable en la prevención primaria de enfermedades crónicas: la Red Predimed, one of the Redes Temáticas de Investigación Cooperativa Sanitaria [RETICs]) Fundación Dieta Mediterránea, Spain; and Kellogg's España SA and Kellogg's Company, Battle Creek, USA via the Fundación Universitaria de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the Fundación para la Investigación Nutricional.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.