CNR-Institute of Neuroscience, Aging Branch, Padova, Italy.
Veneto Institute of Oncology (IOV-IRCCS), Padova, Italy.
Nutr Res. 2014 Sep;34(9):771-9. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2014.08.001. Epub 2014 Aug 7.
There is a large amount of literature regarding the benefits of the Mediterranean diet in the adult population; however, there is growing curiosity about the individuals who naturally adhere to those principles early in life. The "Evaluation of Dietary Habits in Adolescents," carried out by the National Research Council of Italy in 2009, is a survey that aimed to assess the dietary habits and lifestyles of Italian adolescents and their adherence to the Mediterranean diet. We hypothesized that there would be differences across regions, with a higher adherence in Southern Italy compared with Northern Italy based on geography. The survey was conducted in 3 different geographic locations in Italy and included a convenience sample of adolescents who attended either a middle or high school. The participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire concerning demographic data, lifestyle factors, and eating patterns, and scores were assigned according to adherence to the Mediterranean diet, as calculated using Trichopoulou's Mediterranean diet scale. The final sample included 565 adolescents, between 12 and 19 years old, who attended school in the northeastern, northwestern, or southern regions of Italy in 2009. According to the findings, 38.6% of the respondents had scores indicating a low adherence to the Mediterranean diet, whereas only 14% had scores showing a high adherence. Teenagers from the Southern region showed the highest adherence. Those with a high adherence to the Mediterranean diet consumed higher quantities of fiber, iron, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin D, and monounsaturated fats.
有大量文献探讨了地中海饮食对成年人的益处；然而，人们越来越好奇那些在年轻时就自然遵循这些原则的人。意大利国家研究委员会 2009 年开展的“青少年饮食评估”研究旨在评估意大利青少年的饮食行为和生活方式及其对地中海饮食的遵循情况。我们假设，基于地理位置，意大利南部地区的青少年比北部地区更遵循地中海饮食原则，因此两者之间存在差异。该研究在意大利的 3 个不同地区进行，采用便利抽样法选取了就读于中学或高中的青少年作为研究对象。研究对象被要求填写一份关于人口统计学数据、生活方式因素和饮食习惯的问卷，并根据地中海饮食的遵循情况进行评分，评分标准采用 Trichopoulou 的地中海饮食量表进行计算。最终的样本包括了 2009 年在意大利东北部、西北部和南部地区上学的 565 名 12 至 19 岁的青少年。研究结果表明，38.6%的调查对象得分较低，表明他们对地中海饮食的遵循程度较低，而只有 14%的调查对象得分较高，表明他们对地中海饮食的遵循程度较高。南部地区的青少年表现出了最高的遵循程度。那些对地中海饮食遵循程度较高的青少年摄入了更多的纤维、铁、维生素 B6、维生素 C、叶酸、维生素 A、维生素 D 和单不饱和脂肪。
