Food Labels Use Is Associated with Higher Adherence to Mediterranean Diet: Results from the Moli-Sani Study

Nutrients

Americo E. Bonanni¹  Marialaura Bonaccio³  Augusto di Castelnuovo³  Francesca de Lucia²  Simona Costanzo³  Mariarosaria Persichillo³  Francesco Zito⁴  Maria Benedetta Donati³  Giovanni de Gaetano³ 

[1] Epicomed Research Srl, Campobasso 86100, Italy; E-Mail:;Cuoresano Onlus, Campobasso 86100, Italy; E-Mail:;Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Medieterraneo Neuromed, Pozzilli 86077, Italy; E-Mails:;U.O.C. Medicina Trasfusionale e Immunoematologia, Ospedale Veneziale di Isernia, Isernia 86170, Italy; E-Mail:

关键词: Mediterranean diet;    food labels;    dietary patterns;    cardiovascular diseases;    chronic diseases;   

DOI  :  10.3390/nu5114364

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Mediterranean diet (MD) has been associated with lower risk of ischemic cerebro- and cardio-vascular disease, neurological degenerative disease, and breast and colonrectal cancers. Nevertheless, adherence to this pattern has decreased. Food labels are a potentially valid means to encourage towards healthier dietary behavior. This study, conducted on a subsample of 883 subjects enrolled in the Moli-sani Project, evaluated whether food labels reading (LR) is associated with MD adherence. Participants completed a questionnaire on nutrition knowledge, information, and attitudes, with a specific question on food labels reading. Biometric measurements, socio-economic status, education, physical activity, and smoking habits were collected. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) food frequency questionnaire was used to collect dietary habits, and subsequently evaluated by both the Mediterranean diet score (MDS) and Italian Mediterranean index (IMI), a priori dietary patterns. Food consumption patterns were generated by Principal Components Analysis (PCA), an a posteriori approach. Multivariable odds ratios were calculated to quantify the association of LR categories with dietary habits. LR was significantly associated with greater adherence to both MDS (p = 0.0004) and IMI (p = 0.0019) in a multivariable model. LR participants had 74% (MDS) or 68% (IMI) higher probability to be in the highest level of adherence to Mediterranean diet-like patterns. Moreover, they showed greater adherence to Mediterranean-like food consumption patterns (0.1 vs. −0.2, p < 0.0001) and lower adherence to two Western-like patterns (0.01 vs. 0.2, p = 0.009 and 0.1 vs. 0.2, p = 0.02). These findings support an association between food label use and consuming a Mediterranean-type diet.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.