Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Viale Pinto 1, 71122 Foggia, Italy.
Nutrients. 2024 Jul 31;16(15):2482. doi: 10.3390/nu16152482.
Understanding the interaction between dietary patterns and nutritional status in influencing health outcomes is crucial, especially in vulnerable populations. Our study investigates the impact of adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and nutritional status on inflammatory markers (CRP) and the length of stay (LOS) in hospitalized frail elderly patients.
We conducted two-way ANOVA and multiple regression analysis to evaluate the effects of nutritional status and MD adherence on the CRP levels and LOS in a cohort of 117 frail elderly patients aged 65 years or older. Patients with cancer or acute infection were excluded. Adherence to the MD was assessed using the 14-item PREDIMED questionnaire.
Significant interactions were found between nutritional status and MD adherence for both the CRP and LOS. The patients with low-level MD adherence and a poor nutritional status exhibited higher CRP levels and longer hospital stays compared to those with high MD adherence. Specifically, a statistically significant interaction was observed for the CRP ( (1, 113) = 7.36, = 0.008) and LOS ( (1, 113) = 15.4, < 0.001), indicating the protective effect of high-level MD adherence. Moderation analysis confirmed that high-level MD adherence mitigates the adverse effects of malnutrition on both the inflammatory response and LOS.
These findings highlight the importance of promoting the MD, particularly in malnourished elderly patients, to improve health outcomes and reduce hospitalization duration. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to establish causality and explore the underlying mechanisms.
了解饮食模式和营养状况之间的相互作用如何影响健康结果至关重要，尤其是在弱势群体中。我们的研究调查了地中海饮食（MD）的依从性和营养状况对炎症标志物（CRP）和住院虚弱老年患者住院时间（LOS）的影响。
我们进行了双向方差分析和多元回归分析，以评估营养状况和 MD 依从性对 117 名年龄在 65 岁或以上的虚弱老年患者 CRP 水平和 LOS 的影响。排除患有癌症或急性感染的患者。MD 依从性使用 14 项 PREDIMED 问卷进行评估。
在 CRP 和 LOS 方面，均发现营养状况和 MD 依从性之间存在显著交互作用。低水平 MD 依从性和营养不良的患者 CRP 水平较高，住院时间较长，与高水平 MD 依从性的患者相比。具体来说，CRP（（1,113）= 7.36，= 0.008）和 LOS（（1,113）= 15.4，< 0.001）的交互作用具有统计学意义，表明高水平 MD 依从性具有保护作用。调节分析证实，高水平 MD 依从性减轻了营养不良对炎症反应和 LOS 的不良影响。
这些发现强调了促进 MD 的重要性，特别是在营养不良的老年患者中，以改善健康结果并缩短住院时间。需要进一步的纵向研究来确定因果关系并探索潜在的机制。
