A study carried out by experts from eight European countries and led by researcher Gianluca Tognon from the University of Gothenburg (Sweden), concludes that a diet more in line with the Mediterranean diet makes children 15% less likely to have overweight or obese than those who follow another type of diet or diet.
The researchers analyzed the data from the IDEFICS study (Identification and prevention of the health effects of diet and lifestyle in children and infants), taking as parameters weight, height, waist circumference and the percentage of body fat (BMI). The children's parents also had to answer a questionnaire about feeding.
Thanks to the comparison of the entire volume of data, the researchers detected that children with a high rate of adherence to a diet similar to the Mediterranean were 15% less likely to be overweight or obese than those who followed a diet other than the Mediterranean . Furthermore, this result was not influenced by age, sex, country of residence or socioeconomic level of the family.
“ The promotion of a Mediterranean diet pattern is no longer a characteristic of Mediterranean countries . Taking into account its potential beneficial effects in the prevention of obesity, this diet pattern should be part of the obesity prevention strategies of the European Union and its promotion should be especially intense in countries where low levels are detected. adherence ”, says Gianluca Tognon, study leader.
