Environmental impact of the diet of young Portuguese and its relationship with adherence to the Mediterranean Diet

• Published in: European journal of nutrition 2024-09, Vol.63 (6), p.2307-2315
• Main Authors: Álvarez-Álvarez, Laura, Vitelli-Storelli, Facundo, Rubín-García, María, Martín-Sánchez, Vicente, García Fernández, Camino, Carvalho, Catarina, Araújo, Joana, Ramos, Elisabete
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acidification; Carbon dioxide; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Diet; Emissions; energy; Environmental factors; Environmental impact; environmental sustainability; Epidemiology; Eutrophication; fish consumption; Food consumption; Food intake; Greenhouse gases; Land use; meat; meat consumption; Mediterranean diet; Nutrition; Original Contribution; Regression analysis
• ISSN: 1436-6207; 1436-6215; 1436-6215
• DOI: 10.1007/s00394-024-03396-w

Objective To estimate, in a cohort of young Portuguese adults, the environmental impact (greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, land use, energy used, acidification and potential eutrophication) of diet according to adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD). Methods Data from 1554 participants of the Epidemiologic Health Investigation of Teenagers in Porto (EPITeen) were analysed. Food intake and MD adherence were determined using validated questionnaires. The environmental impact was evaluated with the EAT-Lancet Commission tables, and the link between MD adherence and environmental impact was calculated using adjusted multivariate linear regression models. Results Higher adherence (high vs. low) to the MD was associated with lower environmental impact in terms of land use (7.8 vs. 8.5 m 2 , p = 0.002), potential acidification (57.8 vs. 62.4 g SO2-eq, p = 0.001) and eutrophication (21.7 vs. 23.5 g PO4-eq, p