Adherence to the Mediterranean diet among climbers in Lisbon, Portugal: A cross-sectional study

The aim of this research was to assess climbers’ adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) and to explore its association with climbing background and demographic characteristics of this athletic population. The research was conducted as an analytical cross-sectional study using a modified PREDIMED questionnaire disseminated in four climbing gyms in Lisbon, Portugal. The study included 278 climbers, 188 males and 90 females, with a mean age of 30.8 ± 7.4 years. On average, participants had been climbing for 1 to 3 years, with a frequency of 2.4 sessions per week. Results indicated a medium level of adherence, with a mean score of 8.47 ± 2.08 out of 14 points, with, low daily consumption of fruits and low weekly consumption of fish/shellfish. These findings underscore the need to improve climbers’ awareness of appropriate dietary choices, particularly by promoting adequate consumption of fish and fruit as important components of a balanced diet. Future studies should adopt interventional designs to elucidate the specific effects of the MD on recovery and performance in climbing.