Adherence to the Baltic Sea diet consumed in the Nordic countries is associated with lower abdominal obesity

Abstract

Due to differences in food cultures, dietary quality measures, such as the Mediterranean Diet Score, may not be easily adopted by other countries. Recently, the Baltic Sea Diet Pyramid was developed to illustrate healthy choices for the diet consumed in the Nordic countries. We assessed whether the Baltic Sea Diet Score (BSDS) based on the Pyramid is associated with a decreased risk of obesity and abdominal obesity. The population-based cross-sectional study included 4720 Finns (25 -74 years) from the National FINRISK 2007 study. Diet was assessed using a validated FFQ. The score included Nordic fruits and berries, vegetables, cereals, ratio of PUFA:SFA and trans-fatty acids, low-fat milk, fish, red and processed meat, total fat (percentage of energy), and alcohol. Height, weight and waist circumference (WC) were measured and BMI values were calculated. In a multivariable model, men in the highest v. lowest BSDS quintile were more likely to have normal WC (OR 0·48, 95 % CI 0·29, 0·80). In women, this association was similar but not significant (OR 0·65, 95 % CI 0·39, 1·09). The association appeared to be stronger in younger age groups (men: OR 0·23, 95 % CI 0·08, 0·62; women: OR 0·17, 95 % CI 0·05, 0·58) compared with older age groups. Nordic cereals and alcohol were found to be the most important BSDS components related to WC. No association was observed between the BSDS and BMI. The present study suggests that combination of Nordic foods, especially cereals and moderate alcohol consumption, is likely to be inversely associated with abdominal obesity.

A diet following Finnish nutrition recommendations does not contribute to the current epidemic of obesity

“…Studies on dietary scores indicate that obesity could be partly prevented with a diet following national nutrition recommendations. In Nordic countries, local recommendations and adherence to them might have a beneficial effect on abdominal obesity (28) and health (29)(30)(31) . In cross-sectional studies, the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), AHEI and the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet have been related with a lower risk of abdominal adiposity (32)(33)(34) and with a lower risk of CVD and heart failure (5,6,(35)(36)(37) .…”

An international comparison of dietary patterns in 9–11-year-old children

“…In the former, the participants are given a dietary index score based on theoretical assumptions, for example, components of a healthy diet. 9,10 Although this score can be adapted to different cultural settings, 11 it is unlikely that a single theory-driven score could be used for a global comparison of countries. Data-driven methods are not per se based on assumptions of the relationships between diet and health and are hence likely to be more suitable for international comparisons.…”

Bread Intake and Abdominal Fat

“…Of the five cross-sectional studies in which bread type was not differentiated, two [14,18] did not find any relation between the intake of food groups that included bread and abdominal obesity, while another two [12,24] showed a lower WC tendency in the group that included bread. The study conducted by Ledikwe et al [11] showed that the cluster that included the consumption of bread compared to the cluster that did not include bread had a greater risk of general and abdominal obesity.…”

“…Of particular interest was the study conducted by Kanerva et al [24]. These authors studied the relationship between the Baltic Sea Diet Score (BSDS) and abdominal obesity in a population of 4720 Finns (aged 25-74 years) from the National FINRISK 2007 study.…”