Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in a sample of heart-transplanted patients from the University Hospital of Udine.

Introduction: heart-transplanted patients are inclined to develop several metabolic conditions, mainly due to the side effects of immunosuppressive therapy, which may increase the risk of many chronic diseases or complications, impairing their long-term outcomes. In order to prevent the onset of any undesirable condition, healthy lifestyles, including physical activity and dietary habits, should be promoted. Aim: to assess the adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) of 143 heart- transplanted patients from the University Hospital of Udine. Materials and methods: the self-administered, validated, 15-item questionnaire (1) was administered to the patients during the scheduled follow-up visits, since October 2020. The MedDiet score was derived from each questionnaire, with values ranging from 0 (minimal adherence) to 9 (maximal adherence), and patients were ranked as weak adherent (≤ 5) or good adherent (6-9). Results: the median age of the 143 patients (Italian=97.2%) was 64 years (57-69), and the 80% were males. The median MedDiet score was 4 (2-5), with only 35 subjects (25.2%) showing a good adherence. In particular, it was observed that among 50% of patients consumed fruit and vegetables at least 1-2 times/day; whole grains and olive oil were not habitually used by the majority (~60%); only 30% of them consumed fish, nuts, and legumes at least 2-3 times/week. Red meat consumption resulted in line with recommendations (≤1 time/week) for 94% of the subjects. Conclusions: an overall weak adherence to the MedDiet was found in our sample, together with an inadequate consumption of foods characterizing the MedDiet. These findings suggest that much effort will be devoted to improving the dietary habits of heart-transplanted patients and to develop dietary guidelines with the aim of both reducing MetS risk factors and therapies’ side effects. 1. Gnagnarella P., Dragà D., Misotti A.M., Sieri S., Spaggiari L., Cassano E., Baldini F., Soldati L., Maisonneuve P. Validation of a short questionnaire to record adherence to the Mediterranean diet: An Italian experience. Nutr. Metab. Cardiovasc. Dis. 2018; 28:1140–1147.