LB042 - DIETARY DIVERSITY IN MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES IS DIFFERENTIATED BY AMINO ACID AND FATTYACID PROFILES

LB042

DIETARY DIVERSITY IN MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES IS DIFFERENTIATED BY AMINO ACID AND FATTY

ACID PROFILES

H. Yamanaka-Okumura^1,*, M. Kenzaka¹

¹Department of Food and Nutritional Science, Doshisha Women's college of liberal arts, Kyoto, Japan

Rationale: The dietary patterns of Mediterranean countries, widely recognized as a healthy eating pattern, is often perceived as a uniform entity; however, it is, in reality, a complex amalgamation of distinct food cultures across different countries. Although the Mediterranean diet is commonly evaluated by scores, there is a lack of information regarding specific values.

Methods: The analysis targeted six countries: Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, and Croatia. Estimated average intake (mg) per 1,000 kcal and food source profiles of 18 amino acids (AA) and 19 fatty acids (FA) were determined by referencing each country's dietary survey data, the USDA National Nutrient Database, and the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. A comparative clustering analysis was then conducted, including data from Japan and the United States, to hierarchically capture similarities and differences in the resulting AA and FA profiles.

Results: The six-country average AA intake was highest for glutamic acid, accounting for 20.9% of the total. For FA, 18:1 was the most abundant at 44.5%, followed by 18:2 and 16:0. The combined daily intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ranged from 162.5 mg in Cyprus to 405.0 mg in Portugal. Clustering analysis showed that while AA profiles exhibited little inter-country variation, FA profiles differed by country, suggesting that diet has a major impact on FA composition. Specifically, n-3 FA intake was relatively high in Portugal, Spain, and Japan, whereas the other four Mediterranean countries and the United States belonged to a low-intake group.

Conclusion:  This study demonstrates that the dietary patterns observed in Mediterranean countries are not a monolithic model but rather comprises multiple region-specific eating patterns.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared