Effects of the affinity to the Mediterranean diet pattern together with breastfeeding on the incidence of childhood asthma and other inflammatory and recurrent diseases.

INTRODUCTION: There is an increasing amount of data relating the dietetic pattern to health variables, although data concerning the child population are scarce. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of affinity to the Traditional Mediterranean Diet (TMD) pattern, together with breastfeeding, on the incidence of childhood asthma and other inflammatory and recurrent diseases (IRD) in children under 2 years of age. METHODS: Single-group intervention study evaluating differences in results according to degree of adherence to TMD recommendations. According to their adhesion to the TMD-Breastfed Test, patients were classified into two groups: Group 1 (with greater adherence) and Group 2 (with less adherence). The incidence of childhood asthma and IRD was evaluated and compared with both groups. RESULTS: The score of the TMD-Breastfed Test was optimal in Group 1 and good in Group 2. It shows a marked reduction in both consultation groups "on request" compared with "planned," with low morbidity and low use of antibiotics. The incidence of infectious diseases and recurrent bacterial complications shows a clinically relevant difference between both groups. The incidence of childhood asthma was greater and statistically significant in Group 2, with less adherence to breastfeeding. CONCLUSIONS: In these cohorts of breastfed patients with good adherence to TMD patterns, there was evidence of a low incidence of childhood asthma and the IRD, more pronounced in the highest adherence Group 1. Some non-TMD foods have been linked to the occurrence of childhood asthma and IRD, as their dietary limitations have contributed to decreasing morbidity.

Effects of Mediterranean diet in patients with recurring colds and frequent complications.

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, traditional diets enriched with fresh plant-based foods have been gradually abandoned, increasing the consumption of animal foods and highly processed food. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a nutritional intervention with a Traditional Mediterranean Diet in patients with recurring colds (RC) and frequent inflammatory complications (IC). METHODS: Prospective before-after comparison study of 63 girls and 65 boys aged 1-5 years were included over a year in the nutritional programme "Learning to eat from the Mediterranean". We studied clinical and therapeutic variables and various anthropometric parameters. RESULTS: All the studied indicators (number of catarrhal episodes CB, degree of intensity, emergency and hospital admissions) showed a positive and statistically significant evolution, evidenced from the first weeks of starting treatment, until the end of the year, after which 53.9% of patients had no CB, 25% had only one, and 16.4% had two episodes, compared to the 4.64 episodes on average in the previous year. Antibiotic use decreased by 87.4%, from 3.85±1.27 times/patient/year to 0.49±0.79 (p<0.001). Symptomatic treatment decreased by 56.7%, from 7.03±2.76 to 3.05±1.69 (p<0.001). The satisfaction of the families was very high. The Kidmed index, which assesses the quality of the Mediterranean Diet, increased from 7.8 to 10.9 points. CONCLUSION: The adoption of a Traditional Mediterranean Diet could be a major contribution to the improvement of patients with recurring colds and frequent inflammatory complications.