Mediterranean diet quality index is associated with better cardiorespiratory fitness and reduced systolic blood pressure in adults: A cross-sectional study

Background: Literature suggests higher cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is inversely related to chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease and hypertension. The aim of this study was to assess the association of Mediterranean dietary quality index (Med-DQI) with CRF and hypertension in a sample of Iranian adults. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on 270 healthy men and women, aged 18-45 years. Dietary intake and physical activity level were assessed through a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ); and the International Physical Activity Questionnaires (IPAQ), respectively. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed by using a graded exercise treadmill test. The association between Med-DQI and CRF was investigated using multiple regression models. Results: Participants in the top tertiles of Med-DQI, had higher VO2 max (mL/kg/min) (p = 0.02) and lower SBP (p = 0.01). When we controlled for age, sex, weight, smoking, physical activity and energy intake, the significant results were remained. Results of unadjusted linear regression shows that CRF was positively associated with cholesterol (p < 0.001) and fish (p < 0.001). Also, CRF was positively associated with vegetables and fruits (p < 0.001) and olive oil (p = 0.05). After adjustments for confounders, the significant associations of olive oil and cholesterol with CRF were disappeared while vegetables and fruits and total score of Med-DQI remained significant. There were no significant relations between saturated fatty acids meat, and cereals with Med-DQI. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that Med-DQI was associated with better CRF in Iranian adults and SBP. Further studies with interventional approaches are needed to better clarify the causal inference of these associations. (C) 2021 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.