Key Features

The Mediterranean Diet Adherence Index – PREDIMED-14 is a multifaceted, randomized, controlled, and “laboratory-style” trial. It specifically demonstrates that faithful adherence to practices related to the Mediterranean diet acts as a protective factor in preventing the onset of symptoms associated with hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and excess weight in individuals at increased risk of developing health issues or metabolic disorders.

Purpose

The goal of the PREDIMED-14 Mediterranean diet index, regardless of total caloric intake, is to evaluate adherence to the Mediterranean diet in order to enable early prevention of conditions related to heart function in their initial stages.

Scoring of Questions

Scoring is assigned as follows: For the consumption of items considered aligned with the Mediterranean diet (e.g., unrefined cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, fish, and potatoes), responses are rated on a scale from 0 = never to 5 = very frequent, meaning weekly or daily consumption. For foods considered inconsistent with the Mediterranean pattern (e.g., red meat and products, poultry, and full-fat dairy products), scores are applied in reverse.

Validity and Reliability

The proposed dietary scoring system has shown good sensitivity in identifying individuals with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and obesity. It is strongly associated with the 10-year risk of developing congenital heart disease (CHD). While scoring accuracy could be further improved, its implementation in general practice may serve as a valuable tool for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Index [PREDIMED-14 / MEDAS] is a brief 14-item tool capable of capturing a strong, monotonic, inverse correlation between adherence to a high-quality dietary pattern (Mediterranean diet) and obesity indicators in an adult population at high cardiovascular risk.

References

Greek Literature
Ioannis, N. E. (2021). Assessment of nutrient intake adequacy and calculation of dietary indices in a sample of AUTH students (No. GRI-2021-31108). Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
International Literature
Babio, N., et al. (2009). Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and risk of metabolic syndrome and its components. Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, 19(8), 563–570.
Martínez-González, M. A., et al. (2012). A 14-item Mediterranean diet assessment tool and obesity indexes among high-risk subjects: the PREDIMED trial.
Panagiotakos, D. B., et al. (2007). Adherence to the Mediterranean food pattern predicts the prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and obesity, among healthy adults; the accuracy of the MedDietScore. Preventive Medicine, 44(4), 335–340.
Sánchez-Taínta, A., et al. (2008). Adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet and reduced prevalence of clustered cardiovascular risk factors in a cohort of 3,204 high-risk patients. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 15(5), 589–593.