Table 3.
HEI-2010 and MDS in the study population and of those consuming low- and high-GHGE diets: students of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), EHU12/24 study
| Low-GHGE diet* (n 5231)† | High-GHGE diet* (n 5246)† | P ‡ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | sd | Mean | sd | ||
| HEI-2010 components (score range)§ | |||||
| Total fruit (0–5) | 2·91 | 1·68 | 4·02 | 1·57 | *** |
| Whole fruit (0–5) | 3·54 | 1·78 | 4·39 | 1·40 | *** |
| Total vegetables (0–5) | 1·40 | 0·99 | 2·32 | 1·29 | *** |
| Greens and beans (0–5) | 4·8 | 0·8 | 4·5 | 1·0 | *** |
| Whole grains (0–10) | 2·01 | 3·05 | 2·59 | 3·30 | *** |
| Dairy (0–10) | 4·27 | 2·43 | 6·12 | 2·54 | *** |
| Total protein foods (0–5) | 3·36 | 1·07 | 4·88 | 0·34 | *** |
| Seafood and plant proteins (0–5) | 3·01 | 1·24 | 3·75 | 1·36 | *** |
| Fatty acids (0–10) | 6·51 | 2·74 | 7·27 | 1·95 | *** |
| Refined grains (0–10) | 8·59 | 2·12 | 9·37 | 1·41 | *** |
| Sodium (0–10) | 10·0 | 0·00 | 9·98 | 0·23 | *** |
| ‘Empty energy’ (0–20) | 19·69 | 1·16 | 19·61 | 0·99 | *** |
| Total score (0–100) | 69·77 | 7·61 | 79·12 | 7·22 | *** |
| MDS components (score range)‖ | |||||
| Non-refined cereals | 2·11 | 2·27 | 2·45 | 2·33 | *** |
| Potatoes | 2·08 | 1·33 | 2·01 | 1·53 | *** |
| Fruits | 4·26 | 1·43 | 4·57 | 1·22 | *** |
| Vegetables | 4·38 | 1·10 | 4·71 | 0·82 | *** |
| Legumes | 3·72 | 2·18 | 2·37 | 1·21 | *** |
| Fish | 2·07 | 1·30 | 3·24 | 1·52 | *** |
| Red meat and products | 3·15 | 1·13 | 1·51 | 1·21 | *** |
| Poultry | 3·22 | 1·13 | 1·77 | 1·45 | *** |
| Full-fat dairy products | 1·64 | 1·91 | 2·06 | 2·08 | *** |
| Olive oil | 4·66 | 1·13 | 4·71 | 1·05 | NS |
| Alcoholic beverages | 4·21 | 1·75 | 3·72 | 2·18 | *** |
| Total score | 34·16 | 6·41 | 32·76 | 5·57 | *** |
HEI, Healthy Eating Index; MDS, MedDietScore; GHGE, greenhouse gas emissions.
Low-GHGE diets are defined as those in the lowest quintile of GHGE (kg eCO2/1000 kcal/d). High-GHGE diets are defined as those in the highest quintile of GHGE per 1000 kcal/d.
Survey results were weighted using the weighting coefficients provided by the UPV/EHU.
Determined by Mann–Whitney U test.
The HEI is an overall index of diet quality based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The 2010 version was used for this analysis(46).
Each component can contribute five points to the total score and the theoretical range is 0–55, and reverse scale was applied to four components of the MDS (red meat and products, poultry, full-fat dairy products, and alcoholic beverages)(47).
P < 0·001.