Exploring the Association Between Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Health-related Quality of Life: A Cross-sectional study in Active Older Adults

Introduction: The Mediterranean diet is associated with lower mortality rates and reduced heart disease and cancer risks. As populations age, the importance of health-related quality of life is growing. Research on dietary patterns and quality of life in older adults is limited, but higher diet quality is linked to better well-being. Objective: This study investigates whether adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with health-related quality of life in adults aged 60 and older, focusing on medication use, comorbidities, and other factors. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was employed. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from participants. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the MOS SF-36, while diet adherence was evaluated through PREDIMED instrument. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS with a 95% confidence interval and significance at p < 0.05. Results: Thirty participants were involved; 20 showed low/moderate adherence and ten with high diet adherence. Interestingly, the results showed no statistically significant differences among the three adherence groups for most dimensions, apart from the Role-Emotional dimension (p=0.039). However, a significant association was identified between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and medication use (p < 0.001), as well as between adherence levels and the presence of comorbidities (p < 0.001). Conclusion: While this study did not find a clear link between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and health-related quality of life, these findings underscore the need for further research with larger sample sizes to understand these relationships better. Dietary interventions and lifestyle modifications remain critical for promoting healthy aging and improving overall quality of life among older adults.