Food habits in a southern Italian town (Nicotera) in 1960 and 1996: still a reference Italian Mediterranean diet?

Jul 31, 2001Diabetes, nutrition & metabolism

Food habits in a southern Italian town in 1960 and 1996: still following the traditional Mediterranean diet?

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Abstract

Food choices in Nicotera changed significantly from 1960 to 1996, with increased consumption of animal foods, sweets, and beverages.

In 1960, the diet of Nicotera inhabitants aligned with the traditional Mediterranean diet.
By 1996, dietary patterns shifted towards those of the average Italian diet.
Increased consumption of animal products, cakes, pies, cookies, and sweet beverages was noted.
Alcoholic beverage intake rose among females, while males showed a similar increase in other food categories.
These changes in diet may be linked to a higher risk of coronary heart disease and cancer.

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BACKGROUND: A follow-up analysis of cohorts surveyed in the "Seven Countries Study" has provided increasing evidence of an association between diet and morbidity or mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) and cancer. The effects of the "Mediterranean diet" on mortality is still evident in Italy, where food patterns differ significantly in different geographical areas.

OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in food habits in Nicotera, one of the Italian rural areas of the Seven Countries Study, between 1960 and 1996.

METHODS: In 1996, 80 subjects, 37 females and 43 males, aged 40-59 years, were examined in Nicotera assessing food intake by means of a semiquantitative questionnaire of food frequency, validated for the Italian population. In 1960, food intake of a sample of Nicotera subjects was assessed by weighed record method for three seasons.

RESULTS: Food choices differed markedly between 1960 and 1996. Consumption of animal foods increased, as did that of cakes, pies and cookies and sweet beverages in both male and female groups; an increase of alcoholic beverages was observed only in females.

CONCLUSIONS: In 1960, Nicotera inhabitants were following a diet defined as a "reference Italian Mediterranean diet", but by 1996 the Nicotera diet approached that of an average Italian diet, whose characteristics fall short of a true Mediterranean diet. This change in dietary habits may be responsible for an increased risk of CHD and cancer in the general population in the absence of other factors.

Food habits in a southern Italian town (Nicotera) in 1960 and 1996: still a reference Italian Mediterranean diet?

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