engleski

The quality of a gluten-free diet evaluated with Mediterranean dietary quality index in Croatian celiac patients

Strict gluten-free diet, the only treatment for patients with celiac disease, is necessary to prevent malabsorption and to reduce the risk of complications. Such diet excludes all food and beverages that contain gluten and therefore may result in a nutritionally unbalanced diet. Mediterranean diet is a synonym for healthy and balanced diet. It has been shown that greater adherence to Mediterranean diet is correlated with reduced mortality. Adherence to Mediterranean diet can easily be determined using Mediterranean dietary quality index (MDQI). MDQI is consisted of seven components (saturated fatty acid, cholesterol, meats, olive oil, fish, cereals, fruits + vegetables), whereas each component depending on intake may achieve 0 to 2 points. Total index score might be between 0 and 14 points, where 0 points indicate great adherence to Mediterranean diet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of a gluten-free diet based on a MDQI in Croatian celiac patients. MDQI was calculated based on a seven-day food record from 23 celiac patients from Mediterranean region and 38 celiac patients from continental region. Statistical difference was observed only for saturated fatty acid intake among observed regions (p<0.05). Celiac patients from editerranean region achieved 9.79 points while celiac patients from continental region achieved 10.68 points, however there is no statistical significant difference between these regions. In conclusion, celiac patients adhering gluten-free diet, probably due to specific dietary restriction, as expected have lower diet quality according to MDQI.

diet quality; gluten-free diet; Mediterranean diet

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