Consumption of olive oil and adherence to the Mediterranean Food Pattern among academics of lusophone origin

Abstract

Introduction: Olive oil is one of the pillars of the Mediterranean Diet (MD), highly appreciated by consumers for its nutritional properties and its aromas and flavors. The MD, characteristic of Mediterranean countries, is considered one of the healthiest existent eating patterns. Many of its benefits are associated with the consumption of foods with beneficial properties for health, such as olive oil. Objective: To evaluate adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern and consumption of olive oil, in a sample of Portuguese and Lusophone origin students and researchers. Material and Methods: Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet was measured using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) questionnaire, previously translated and validated for the Portuguese population, containing 14 questions related to the frequency of consumption of typical and non-typical foods of the Mediterranean food pattern, including olive oil. Results: It was observed that 94.4% of Portuguese participants and 86.5% of the foreign ones use olive oil as their main culinary fat and reported mean (SD) daily ingestion of 2.9 (2.3) and 3.9 (2.9) tablespoons respectively. The median of adherence to MD was 8.0 (6.0-9.0) among national participants, being significantly higher than foreign participants: 6.0 (4.5-7.5) (p=0.009). Conclusions: This study revealed that even though olive oil was the fat of choice among both foreign students and researchers, several measures may be taken to raise the score of adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, especially in the international community.