Table 1.
Characteristics of participants by adherence to the Mediterranean diet, Fenland and CoLaus studies*
| Characteristic | Fenland Study (n = 9645) | CoLaus Study (n = 3957) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 (3.30–7.84)* | Q2 (7.85–8.73) | Q3 (8.74–9.46) | Q4 (9.47–10.28) | Q5 (10.29–14.03) | Q1 (1.83–7.45) | Q2 (7.46–8.18) | Q3 (8.19–8.82) | Q4 (8.83–9.47) | Q5 (9.48–12.18) | |
| Age, years | 48.8 ± 7.5 | 48.9 ± 7.3 | 48.9 ± 7.5 | 48.9 ± 7.6 | 49.1 ± 7.5 | 58.2 ± 10.7 | 58 ± 10.5 | 57.4 ± 10.4 | 56.3 ± 10.5 | 55.1 ± 9.4 |
| Women, % | 35.5 | 48.1 | 57.5 | 62.0 | 69.4 | 43.1 | 54.5 | 60.1 | 60.9 | 65.5 |
| Marital status, %† | ||||||||||
| Single | 7.5 | 7.5 | 5.4 | 6.9 | 8.9 | 17.3 | 12.9 | 14.4 | 17.3 | 15.0 |
| Married/cohabiting | 66.5 | 68.7 | 70.9 | 70.2 | 69.1 | 54.3 | 57.1 | 60.1 | 59.8 | 58.2 |
| Separated | 7.3 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 9.5 | 28.4 | 30.0 | 25.5 | 22.9 | 26.8 |
| Occupation, % | ||||||||||
| Managerial or professional | 42.5 | 54.6 | 61.3 | 66.5 | 73.8 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Employed | – | – | – | – | – | 53.4 | 56.9 | 55.7 | 63.1 | 67.9 |
| Education, %† | ||||||||||
| Compulsory | 27.8 | 22.6 | 18.6 | 14.0 | 9.2 | 18.8 | 16.6 | 15.4 | 13.4 | 11.0 |
| Secondary | 55.1 | 50.7 | 46.3 | 41.1 | 36.5 | 65.0 | 64.6 | 61.2 | 58.8 | 59.8 |
| University | 17.2 | 26.7 | 35.1 | 44.9 | 54.3 | 16.2 | 18.8 | 23.4 | 27.8 | 29.2 |
| Annual income, %† | ||||||||||
| < £20,000 | 16.9 | 13.6 | 11.7 | 11.4 | 9.6 | – | – | – | – | – |
| £20,000–40,000 | 41.7 | 35.3 | 34.2 | 30.0 | 27.5 | – | – | – | – | – |
| > £40,000 | 38.7 | 48.3 | 52.5 | 56.6 | 61.0 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Current smoker, % | 20.0 | 11.4 | 10.4 | 8.8 | 6.2 | 26.4 | 22.8 | 21.0 | 18.1 | 16.4 |
| Alcohol intake, unit/week‡ | ||||||||||
| Abstainers | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 21.1 | 23.3 | 24.0 | 24.5 | 24.1 |
| Moderate | 60.5 | 61.6 | 60.7 | 60.8 | 60.7 | 62.5 | 65.9 | 69.9 | 70.8 | 72.9 |
| Heavy | 22.7 | 25.9 | 27.5 | 27.7 | 29.5 | 16.4 | 10.9 | 6.1 | 4.7 | 2.9 |
| Energy intake, kcal/day | 2120 ± 599 | 1949 ± 595 | 1888 ± 550 | 1827 ± 531 | 1824 ± 527 | 1853 ± 633 | 1804 ± 628 | 1804 ± 606 | 1778 ± 588 | 1709 ± 583 |
| Protein, % energy | 17.6 ± 3.7 | 18.2 ± 3.5 | 18.3 ± 3.6 | 18.2 ± 3.5 | 18.0 ± 3.4 | 15.6 ± 3.6 | 15.8 ± 3.6 | 15.5 ± 3.1 | 15.5 ± 3.1 | 14.9 ± 2.8 |
| Carbohydrate, % energy | 46.6 ± 7.3 | 47.6 ± 6.8 | 48.2 ± 6.8 | 49.0 ± 6.9 | 49.3 ± 6.8 | 45.1 ± 9.7 | 44.9 ± 9.1 | 46.7 ± 8.4 | 47.0 ± 8.3 | 48.3 ± 8.0 |
| Fat, % energy | 35.3 ± 5.7 | 33.9 ± 5.5 | 33.1 ± 5.6 | 32.6 ± 5.7 | 32.6 ± 5.8 | 33.3 ± 6.7 | 34.7 ± 6.7 | 34.6 ± 6.7 | 34.6 ± 6.6 | 34.5 ± 6.8 |
| PAEE, kcal/day | 1048 ± 903 | 878 ± 750 | 777 ± 668 | 740 ± 582 | 696 ± 515 | |||||
| TEE, kcal/day | – | – | – | – | – | 2748 ± 672 | 2667 ± 642 | 2647 ± 621 | 2615 ± 581 | 2665 ± 615 |
| Metabolic syndrome, %§ | 42.5 | 37.8 | 31.9 | 29.7 | 22.6 | 39.5 | 37.5 | 24.0 | 28.8 | 26.0 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 27.5 ± 4.6 | 27.2 ± 4.7 | 26.6 ± 4.5 | 26.1 ± 4.3 | 25.2 ± 4.2 | 26.4 ± 4.4 | 26.0 ± 4.4 | 25.6 ± 4.1 | 25.4 ± 4.2 | 25.0 ± 4.1 |
| Waist circumference, cm | 94.5 ± 13 | 92.0 ± 12.9 | 89.4 ± 12.5 | 87.9 ± 12.1 | 85 ± 11.9 | 93.4 ± 12.7 | 91.4 ± 12.2 | 89.7 ± 11.7 | 89.1 ± 12.0 | 87.8 ± 11.8 |
| Triglycerides, mmol/L | 1.3 ± 0.9 | 1.2 ± 0.8 | 1.1 ± 0.7 | 1.1 ± 0.6 | 1.0 ± 0.6 | 1.4 ± 0.9 | 1.4 ± 0.8 | 1.2 ± 0.7 | 1.2 ± 0.9 | 1.2 ± 0.7 |
| GGT, U/L | 39.6 ± 40.8 | 36.2 ± 34.4 | 32.5 ± 25 | 31.9 ± 25.2 | 28.5 ± 22.6 | 45.3 ± 72.1 | 35.3 ± 33.2 | 30.8 ± 28 | 30.9 ± 34.7 | 28.6 ± 31.1 |
| ALT, U/L | 30.8 ± 16.7 | 29.1 ± 15.7 | 27.7 ± 14.6 | 27.2 ± 15.6 | 26.1 ± 16.3 | 28.9 ± 22.3 | 26.9 ± 15.4 | 26.1 ± 13.8 | 24.8 ± 12.8 | 25.3 ± 14.8 |
| AST, U/L | – | – | – | – | – | 30.3 ± 14.8 | 28.7 ± 12.3 | 28.0 ± 8.7 | 27.5 ± 9.3 | 27.2 ± 7.6 |
PAEE physical activity energy expenditure, TEE total energy expenditure, BMI body mass index, iqr interquartile range, GGT gamma-glutamyl transferase, ALT alanine aminotransferase, AST aspartate aminotransferase
*In each cohort, participants were categorised into five groups by quintiles (Q1 to Q5) of the Mediterranean diet score representing the levels of dietary adherence to the Mediterranean diet pattern (defined by the Mediterranean diet pyramid) (possible range 0 to 15). A range of the points in each category is presented. Data are mean ± SD for continuous variables or percent for categorical variables, unless otherwise stated
†Due to some missing data, numbers do not always add to 100%. ‘Separated’ included divorced or widowed adults
‡Alcohol consumption categorised as ‘abstainers’ (0 unit/week), ‘moderate’ (1–21 units/week for men, 1–14 for women), and ‘heavy drinkers’ (> 21 units/week for men, > 14 for women)
§Metabolic syndrome defined according to the International Diabetic Federation