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. 2021 Nov 4:9:649760.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.649760. eCollection 2021.

Interplay Between Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Lipid Profile: A Comparative Survey Between Day-Time Healthcare and Non-healthcare Female Workers

Luigi Di Lorenzo  1 , Luigi Vimercati  1 , Antonella Pipoli  1 , Nicola Mariano Manghisi  1 , Luisa Lampignano  2 , Antonio Caputi  1 , Luigi De Maria  1 , Roberta Zupo  2 , Giovanni De Pergola  2   3
Affiliations

Interplay Between Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Lipid Profile: A Comparative Survey Between Day-Time Healthcare and Non-healthcare Female Workers

Luigi Di Lorenzo et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Introduction: Occupational physicians, as an aspect of the periodic health surveillance of workers prescribed by law, must develop preventive programs against adverse health-related occurrences (Legislative Decree 81/2008, art.25) to reduce major risk factors for non-communicable/chronic diseases. Eating habits play an important role in defining risk trajectories in the workplace. Methods: We randomly and cross-sectionally evaluated 147 females, of which 59 were healthcare workers (HCWs) and 88 were non-HCWs. The assessment included a dietary screening for adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and a clinical baseline collection of major fluid biomarkers and anthropometric indicators for cardiovascular and metabolic risk. Results: The HCW group exhibited greater adherence to the MD than the non-HCW group. Nevertheless, they showed higher serum levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol. Menopause and type of work significantly and unfavorably affected triglyceride serum levels among HCWs. Conclusion: Greater preventive efforts are needed in the context of periodic health surveillance by occupational physicians. Disseminating additional information on a healthier lifestyle, particularly among female workers of perimenopausal age, is a key issue.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04596358.

Keywords: Mediterranean diet; blood lipid profile; health promotion; healthcare workers; occupational medicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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