Should Pasta Be Included in a Mediterranean Diet?

As a traditional part of the Mediterranean diet, pasta consumption was negatively associated with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and central and overall obesity, according to a recent study from Italy.

The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are well established. However, the effects of pasta—a traditional component of the Mediterranean diet that has gained a bad reputation in recent years for causing weight gain—on weight control and overall health are less well understood.
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To conduct their study, the researchers analyzed the results of 2 large epidemiologic studies from Italy: The Moli-sani study, which included 14,402 participants aged 35 years and older, and the Italian Nutrition and Health Survey (INHES), which included 8964 participants older than 18 years.

Both studies measured weight, height, and waist and hip circumference of all participants and used food frequency questionnaires and a 1-day dietary journal for dietary assessment.

The analysis showed that pasta intake was negatively associated BMI, lower waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio. In addition, pasta was associated with better adherence to the Mediterranean diet overall.

“Our comparative analysis of data from two different Mediterranean populations supports that pasta intake is negatively associated with both indexes of obesity status and prevalence of overweight and obesity,” the researchers concluded.

“The comparative assessment of two different epidemiological datasets and the similarities revealed in the studied associations provide reliability and support to the present results.”

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Pounis G, Di Castelnuovo A, Costanzo S, et al. Association of pasta consumption with body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio: results from Moli-sani and INHES studies [published online July 4, 2016]. Nutr Diabetes. doi:10.1038/nutd.2016.20.