Adherence to a Mediterranean-like Diet as a Protective Factor Against COPD: A Nested Case-Control Study

Figures & data

Table 1. Descriptive data for 370 individuals who developed COPD and 1432 controls matched for age, sex, and smoking habit.^a

Variable	Cases (n = 370)	Controls (n = 1432)	OR (95% CI)^b
Age at screening, years, mean (min–max)	55 (30–61)	55 (30–61)
Time to first visit to Respiratory Department, Umeå, mean (SD)	11.1 (4.5)
Female, n (%)	213 (58)	817 (57)
Current smokers, n (%)	269 (73)	1040 (73)
Ex-smokers, n (%)	83 (22)	322 (22)
Never smokers, n (%)	18 (5)	70 (5)
Body mass index, kg/m^2, mean (SD)	25.7 (4.9)	26.0 (3.9)	0.98 (0.95–1.01)
Higher education, n (%)	42 (11)	258 (18)	0.56 (0.39–0.80)
Living alone, n (%)	86 (23)	224 (16)	1.69 (1.26–2.26)
Low adherence to MDS, n (%)	116 (31)	327 (23)	–
Medium adherence to MDS, n (%)	216 (58)	896 (63)	–
High adherence to MDS, n (%)	38 (10)	209 (15)	–

^a Smoking status was defined at the time of examination in the Västerbotten Intervention Programme.

^b Unadjusted OR with 95% CI for the development of chronic obstructive lung disease calculated using conditional logistic regression analyses.

OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval; SD: standard deviation; MDS: Mediterranean diet score.

Table 2. Mediterranean diet score (MDS) and odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among 370 cases and 1431 controls matched for age, sex, and smoking habit.^a

	Crude	Adjusted, model 1^b	Adjusted, model 2^c	Adjusted, model 3^d	Adjusted, model 4^e
Cases (n)	370	370	367	286	284
Modified MDS
Low adherence 0–2	1 (reference)	1 (reference)	1 (reference)	1 (reference)	1 (reference)
Medium adherence 3–5	0.68 (0.53–0.88)	0.71 (0.55–0.92)	0.73 (0.56–0.95)	0.67 (0.50–0.91)	0.73 (0.53–0.99)
High adherence 6–8	0.50 (0.33–0.76)	0.54 (0.36–0.82)	0.56 (0.37–0.86)	0.52 (0.31–0.87)	0.59 (0.35–0.97)

^a Smoking status was defined at the time of examination in the Västerbotten Intervention Programme.

^b Adjusted for higher education.

^c Adjusted for higher education and living alone.

^d Adjusted for numbers of cigarettes smoked per day.

^e Adjusted for higher education, living alone and numbers of cigarettes smoked per day.

Bold font indicate statistically significant result p<0.05.

Table 3. Consumption of different food groups and odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Single MDS component	OR (95% CI)
Intake above the median
(MUFA + PUFA): SFA	0.81 (0.64–1.03)
Vegetables and potatoes	0.81 (0.64–1.02)
Fruit	0.71 (0.57–0.90)
Wholegrain cereals	0.88 (0.70–1.11)
Fish	0.88 (0.70–1.10)
Intake below the median
Meat and meat products	0.94 (0.75–1.18)
Dairy	0.88 (0.70–1.11)
Intake within limits
Alcohol	0.84 (0.62–1.15)

MUFA: monounsaturated fat; PUFA: polyunsaturated fat; SFA: saturated fat; OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval.

Bold font indicate statistically significant result p<0.05.