The results showed that evidence is scarce and that very few scores fulfilled the applicability parameters and psychometric quality .
Scores measuring adherence to MD are useful tools for identifying the dietary patterns of a given population .
OBJECTIVE The aim of this review was to evaluate the conceptual suitability , applicability and psychometric properties of scores used internationally to measure adherence to the Mediterranean diet ( MD ) .
Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with total antioxidant capacity in healthy adults: the ATTICA study.
BACKGROUND Greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been associated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer . OBJECTIVE We studied the effect of the Mediterranean diet on total antioxidant capacity ( TAC ) in 3042 participants who had no clinical evidence of cardiovascular disease . DESIGN During 2001 - 2002 , a r and om sample of 1514 men and 1528 women aged 18 - 89 y from the Attica area of Greece was selected .  TAC was measured with an immune-diagnostic assay . Food consumption was evaluated with a vali date d food-frequency question naire , and adherence to the Mediterranean diet was assessed on the basis of a diet score that incorporated the inherent characteristics of this diet . RESULTS TAC was positively correlated with diet score . The participants in the highest tertile of the diet score had , on average , 11 % higher TAC levels than did the participants in the lowest tertile , even after adjustment for relevant confounders ( P < 0.01 ) . On the other h and , the participants in the highest tertile of the diet score had , on average , 19 % lower oxidized LDL-cholesterol concentrations than did the participants in the lowest tertile ( P < 0.01 ) . An additional analysis showed that TAC was positively correlated with the consumption of olive oil ( rho = 0.54 , P = 0.002 ) and of fruit and vegetables ( rho = 0.34 and rho = 0.31 , respectively ; P < 0.001 for both ) , whereas it was inversely associated with the consumption of red meat ( rho = -0.35 , P = 0.02 ) . CONCLUSION Greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with elevated TAC levels and low oxidized LDL-cholesterol concentrations , which may explain the beneficial role of this diet on the cardiovascular system
The results showed that evidence is scarce and that very few scores fulfilled the applicability parameters and psychometric quality .
Scores measuring adherence to MD are useful tools for identifying the dietary patterns of a given population .
OBJECTIVE The aim of this review was to evaluate the conceptual suitability , applicability and psychometric properties of scores used internationally to measure adherence to the Mediterranean diet ( MD ) .