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. 2024 Jun 5;16(11):1777.
doi: 10.3390/nu16111777.

Reciprocal and Differential Influences of Mediterranean Diet and Physical Activity on Adiposity in a Cohort of Young and Older than 40 Years Adults

Andrea Higuera-Gómez  1 , Begoña de Cuevillas  1 , Rosa Ribot-Rodríguez  1 , Rodrigo San-Cristobal  2   3 , Víctor de la O  1   4 , Karina Dos Santos  5   6 , Amanda Cuevas-Sierra  1 , J Alfredo Martínez  1   7
Affiliations

Reciprocal and Differential Influences of Mediterranean Diet and Physical Activity on Adiposity in a Cohort of Young and Older than 40 Years Adults

Andrea Higuera-Gómez et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Translational research has documented the conjoint beneficial relationships between dietary and physical activity habits concerning weight maintenance. However, the precise interplay between diet and exercise impacting body composition remains unclear, challenging personalized interventions. This study aimed to explore potential interactions and effect modifications of these factors affecting the body mass index (BMI) within an online adult cohort. Data from 11,883 NUTRiMDEA cohort participants were analyzed in this cross-sectional study, categorizing individuals by age, sex, and BMI using linear regression models to assess the interactions between lifestyle factors and adiposity. Significant differences emerged in anthropometry, lifestyle, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) across categories. The combined effect of diet and physical activity had a greater impact on BMI than physical activity or Mediterranean diet adherence alone, with lower BMI as physical activity levels increased (β: -0.5) and adherence to the Mediterranean diet decreased, where a modification effect between them was identified (β: -0.28). Participants with lower Mediterranean diet adherence displayed superior BMI when physical activity was low, but when activity levels were higher, their BMI aligned with those with healthier dietary habits. An interaction link between lifestyle factors and BMI was found, showing the differential effects of the Mediterranean diet and physical activity combination concerning adiposity.

Keywords: Mediterranean diet; adults; body mass index; healthy aging; online; physical activity; precision nutrition.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean BMI score based on adherence to the Mediterranean diet and physical activity according to (A) sex and (B) age.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Linear prediction models of the effect of physical activity (A) and MedDiet (B) on BMI. Mutual influence of physical activity and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (C).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of the physical activity/MedDiet score on the BMI. The blue line represents the BMI median and the red line the slope of the association with the physical activity/MedDiet score.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of the changes in BMI and physical activity by Mediterranean diet score in the NUTRiMDEA population.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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