Table 1.
Distribution at baseline of anthropometric, biochemical, and immunological characteristics for all study participants and separately for the dietary intervention groups. Italy, 2018–2019.
| All (n = 60) | SA-Group (n = 33) | PROB-Group (n = 27) | p | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median | [Min–Max] | Median | [Min–Max] | Median | [Min–Max] | ||
| Gender, n (%) | 0.176 | ||||||
| Male | 13 | (21.7) | 5 | (15.2) | 8 | (29.6) | |
| Female | 47 | (78.3) | 28 | (84.8) | 19 | (70.4) | |
| Smoking habit, n (%) 1 | 0.860 | ||||||
| Never smoker | 26 | (48.1) | 14 | (46.7) | 12 | (50.0) | |
| Ex-smoker | 22 | (40.7) | 12 | (40.0) | 10 | (41.7) | |
| Current smoker | 6 | (11.1) | 4 | (13.3) | 2 | (8.3) | |
| Age at enrollment, years | 46.9 | [18.3–86.4] | 52.7 | [34.6–86.4] | 45.3 | [18.3–64.2] | 0.015 |
| Weight, kg | 70.5 | [44.0–103.0] | 70.0 | [44.0–103.0] | 72.0 | [47–94.5] | 0.953 |
| Height, m | 1.65 | [1.4–1.8] | 1.7 | [1.4–1.8] | 1.7 | [1.5–1.8] | 0.183 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 25.7 | [19.2–36.8] | 26.1 | [19.2–36.8] | 25.3 | [19.8–33.3] | 0.427 |
| Waist circumference, cm | 85.0 | [64.0–113.0] | 85.0 | [67.0–113.0] | 84.0 | [64.0–102.0] | 0.639 |
| Hip circumference, cm | 105.0 | [89.0–123.0] | 105.0 | [89.0–123] | 104.0 | [90.0–116.0] | 0.312 |
| WHR | 0.8 | [0.7–1.0] | 0.8 | [0.7–1.0] | 0.8 | [0.7–1.0] | 0.783 |
| Abdomen circumference, cm | 98.5 | [69.0–120] | 98.0 | [78.0–120.0] | 99.0 | [69.0–111.0] | 0.582 |
| Glucose, mg/dL | 82.5 | [66.0–212.0] | 83.0 | [66.0–212.0] | 82.0 | [72.0–103.0] | 0.271 |
| Cholesterol, mg/dL 1 | 193.0 | [136.0–269.0] | 190.0 | [136.0–269.0] | 195.0 | [139.0–269.0] | 0.345 |
| HDL, mg/dL 1 | 59.0 | [31.0–94.0] | 65.0 | [31.0–94.0] | 55.0 | [34.0–86.0] | 0.061 |
| LDL, mg/dL 1 | 113.0 | [55.0–171.0] | 106.0 | [67.0–171.0] | 119.0 | [55.0–167.0] | 0.064 |
| Triglycerides, mg/dL 1 | 90.0 | [43.0–365.0] | 91.5 | [43.0–365.0] | 90.0 | [44.0–243.0] | 0.879 |
| Cortisol, µg/L 1 | 125.0 | [61.0–268.0] | 124.5 | [68.0–206.0] | 129.0 | [61.0–268.0] | 0.744 |
| Insulin, mU/L 1 | 9.2 | [3.0–93.3] | 8.9 | [3.0–28.2] | 10.1 | [5.1–93.3] | 0.169 |
| Systolic BP, mmHg 1 | 120.0 | [97.0–155.0] | 120.0 | [100.0–155.0] | 115.0 | [97.0–150.0] | 0.072 |
| Diastolic BP, mmHg 1 | 70.0 | [55.0–90.0] | 70.0 | [60.0–90.0] | 70.0 | [55.0–90.0] | 1.000 |
| MS, n (%) 1 | 0.488 | ||||||
| No | 50 | (84.7) | 26 | (81.2) | 24 | (88.9) | |
| Yes | 9 | (15.3) | 6 | (18.8) | 3 | (11.1) | |
| INF-γ 1 | 0 | [0.0–7.5] | 0 | [0–2.8] | 0 | [0–7.5] | 0.646 |
| IL-6 1 | 1.3 | [0.0–254.4] | 1.3 | [0–55.5] | 1.6 | [0–254.4] | 0.613 |
| IL-10 1 | 0.3 | [0.0–15.0] | 0 | [0–15.0] | 0.6 | [0–4.5] | 0.087 |
| IL-17A 1 | 0 | [0.0–18.8] | 0 | [0–2.6] | 0.8 | [0–18.8] | 0.004 |
| TNFα 1 | 0.2 | [0.0–67.9] | 0 | [0–67.9] | 0.3 | [0–11.9] | 0.419 |
| IMI categories, n (%) 1 | 0.265 | ||||||
| 0–3 | 24 | (40.7) | 16 | (50.0) | 8 | (29.6) | |
| 4–5 | 23 | (39.0) | 10 | (31.3) | 13 | (48.2) | |
| 6–8 | 12 | (20.3) | 6 | (18.7) | 6 | (22.2) | |
BMI: body mass index; WHR: waist-to-hip ratio; HDL: high-density lipoprotein; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; BP: blood pressure; MS: metabolic syndrome; IMI: Italian Mediterranean Index. 1 With the exception of smoking habit, missing values were present only for one patient.