Cross‐sectional associations between Mediterranean diet and body composition in preschool children. CORAL study
Authors' conclusion
Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was significantly linked to favorable body composition indices in Spanish children, highlighting the importance of promoting healthy dietary patterns to prevent overweight and obesity.
Study context
- Population
- Spanish preschool children aged 3–6 years, CORALS cohort
- Participants
- 1,218 children
- Exposure
- Higher vs lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet
- Outcome
- Body composition (weight, height, waist circumference, BMI, Fat Mass (FM), FFMI, WtHR) by Mediterranean diet adherence (MED4CHILD and COME-Kids F&B-FQ)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Body composition by Mediterranean diet adherence
- Adherence associated with more favourable body composition
- MED4CHILD and COME-Kids-derived scores significantly associated with BMI, Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI) and Waist-to-Height ratio (WtHR), with differences by sex
- Adherent children had lower BMI, higher fat-free mass and more favourable WtHR
- Some measures showed weaker associations; all analyses showed a trend towards improved body composition with higher adherence
- Cohen's d: small to moderate effect sizes
- Adjusted for age, physical activity and energy intake
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Cross‐sectional associations between Mediterranean diet and body composition in preschool children. CORAL study. Pediatr Obes. Published 21 April 2025. doi:10.
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