Observance of the Atlantic Diet in a Healthy Population from Galicia (NW Spain): A Comparative Study Using a New Scale-Based Procedure to Assess Adherence

Abstract

The Atlantic Diet (AD) is based on traditional dietary patterns in Galicia (northwestern Spain) and northern Portugal and is known for its health benefits. The AD focuses on fresh, local, and seasonal foods, especially fish, seafood, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fruit, olive oil, and a moderate consumption of wine. However, it has received less attention from researchers than other dietary patterns. The present study had two main objectives: (i) to evaluate the dietary habits of a Galician population in relation to the AD and (ii) to create a numerical index to measure adherence to the AD. In 2022, a validated food frequency questionnaire was administered to 500 healthy adults living in Galicia. The data on participants' dietary habits showed notable deviations from the ideal AD, especially regarding consumption of fruits, grains, and seafood. However, an adequate intake of legumes and nuts was observed, along with a reduction in the consumption of processed foods (except among younger participants) relative to that revealed in previous surveys. To assess adherence to the diet, statistical and chemometric analyses were applied, leading to the development of a new index: the Atlantic Diet Scale (ADS). The ADS was compared with three existing tools and proved to be a simple, flexible, and effective method for assessing dietary adherence based on optimal intake levels across food groups. When applied to dietary data, the ADS yielded adherence levels similar to two of the three traditional methods, with some differences relative to the third. These findings highlight the need for standardized evaluation tools, including clear definitions of food groups and consistent scoring systems, to better assess and promote adherence to the Atlantic Diet.

Keywords: Atlantic Diet; Galicia (NW Spain); adherence assessment; consumption patterns.

Figure 1

(a) Loading plot of the food categories in the space defined by the first three principal components. (b) Dendrogram of the food categories obtained by hierarchical cluster analysis (Euclidean squared distance and agglomerative Ward method).

Figure 2

Score plot of the samples in the space defined by the first three principal components according to (a) sex, (b) geographic area, and (c) age group of the individuals.

Figure 3

Box-and-whisker plot for the categories with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) on the basis of sex, geographic area, and age groups of the individuals. Asterisk mean significantly different groups.

Figure 4

Bar chart showing the indices of adherence to the Atlantic diet for the 456 individuals obtained from (a) the ADS method proposed in this paper and (b) the SEAD Index procedure developed by Oliveira et al. [2], (c) the GGP system by García-Gómez et al. [8], and (d) the ADS procedure using the median criteria (ADS-MBP).

Figure 5

Comparison of normalized indices determined using the different adherence assessment procedures considered.