Table 4.
Total energy and daily macronutrient/micronutrient intake of obese individuals grouped on the basis of the adherence to the Mediterranean diet.
| Parameters | Obese Low adherence MD n = 16 |
Obese Average adherence MD n = 27 |
p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total energy (kcal) | 3473.1 ± 271.9 | 2822.3 ± 287.7 | <0.001 |
| Protein (% of total kcal) | 14.0 (11.0–18.0) | 16.0 (12.0–20.0) | 0.045 |
| INQ protein | 0.98 ± 0.03 | 1.08 ± 0.07 | <0.001 |
| Carbohydrate (% of total kcal) | 56.0 (53.0–61.0) | 57.0 (54.0–60.0) | 0.469 |
| INQ carbohydrate | 0.97 ± 0.03 | 1.03 ± 0.03 | <0.001 |
| Complex (% of total kcal) | 28.8 ± 5.5 | 31.8 ± 4.0 | 0.049 |
| Simple (% of total kcal) | 27.8 ± 4.5 | 25.2 ± 4.0 | 0.055 |
| Fat (% of total kcal) | 29.0 (28.0–30.0) | 27.0 (25.0–30.0) | <0.001 |
| INQ Fat | 0.96 ± 0.03 | 1.06 ± 0.05 | <0.001 |
| SFA (% of total kcal) | 11.5 (8.3–15.7) | 9.0 (1.7–10.3) | <0.001 |
| MUFA (% of total kcal) | 12.8 (11.2–14.3) | 15.7 (14.5–17.7) | <0.001 |
| PUFA (% of total kcal) | 3.3 (1.8-9.3) | 2.9 (1.8–5.9) | 0.191 |
| n-6 PUFA (g/day) | 10.9 (4.8–34.7) | 5.7 (0.4–15.4) | 0.001 |
| n-3 PUFA (g/day) | 2.2 (0.6–2.8) | 3.4 (1.3–12.4) | <0.001 |
| n-6/n-3 PUFAs ratio | 5.9 (2.1–20.8) | 1.6 (0.1–11.8) | <0.001 |
| Cholesterol (mg/day) | 335.9 ± 42.2 | 323.0 ± 32.2 | 0.262 |
| Fiber (g/day) | 20.4 (8.2–25.0) | 24.0 (10.1–28.1) | 0.021 |
| Retinol Eq (μg/day) | 756.5 (451.0–1990.0) | 1249.0 (527.0–2012.0) | 0.001 |
| Vitamin C (mg/day) | 71.0 ± 26.3 | 159.0 ± 44.7 | <0.001 |
| Vitamin D (μg/day) | 1.6 ± 0.6 | 2.1 ± 0.7 | 0.014 |
| Vitamin E (mg/day) | 10.5 ± 1.6 | 16.4 ± 2.3 | <0.001 |
| Iron (mg/day) | 8.2 ± 1.9 | 10.6 ± 2.9 | 0.005 |
| Selenium (μg/day) | 15.2 (9.0–33.9) | 22.1 (8.7–42.5) | 0.003 |
| Zinc (mg/day) | 8.8 ± 1.5 | 10.4 ± 1.3 | <0.001 |
| MAI | 1.09 ± 0.34 | 3.18 ± 0.81 | <0.001 |
Obese individuals with low MD adherence had a higher energy intake, a higher percentage of energy from lipids, mainly SFA and PUFA, and a lower fiber intake than average adherers. Low adherers consumed lower complex carbohydrates and lower antioxidant intake than average adherers, including n-3 PUFA, A, C, and E vitamins, and micronutrients. Results are expressed as mean ± standard deviation or as median plus range according to variable distributions evaluated by Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Differences between groups were analyzed by unpaired Student's t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test, when appropriate. p value indicates comparison between those with low adherence versus those with average adherence to the MD. A p value in bold type denotes a significant difference (p < 0.05). MD: Mediterranean diet; INQ: index of nutritional quality; SFA: saturated fatty acids; MUFA: monounsaturated fatty acids; PUFA: polyunsaturated fatty acids; MAI: Mediterranean adequacy index.