Mediterranean diet, diet quality, and adequacy to Italian dietary recommendations in southern Italian adults

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the relation between adherence to the Mediterranean diet, adequacy to the Italian dietary recommendations, and several domains of diet quality in a sample of Italian adults. METHODS: The dietary habits of a total of 1936 participants were investigated. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and diet quality were assessed through the Medi-Lite and the Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I). RESULTS: The global DQI-I score positively correlated with the Medi-Lite score. Negative coefficients were found for protein intake and calcium in the adequacy category, total fat in the moderation category, and fatty acid ratio in the overall balance category. More than half of the participants were adherent to national recommendations for potatoes, cereals, red meat, and other fats consumption. In contrast, recommendations on legumes, fruit, vegetables, and processed meat were met by about half of the participants while those for dairy products (milk and yogurt) and cheese, eggs, and white meat were rather underrepresented. Higher scores in DQI-I and Medi-Lite well predicted adequacy to recommendations on fruit and vegetables, legumes, processed meat, cereals, and legumes. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals reporting higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet show better diet quality and a higher probability of meeting the dietary recommendations.