The Mediterranean diet from an early age could help prevent excess weight in childhood.

The study, led by the IIS Aragón and the University of Zaragoza, analyzed more than 1.200 children between 3 and 6 years old in seven Spanish cities.. Children with greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet had a lower BMI and less total and abdominal fat, especially in the case of girls.

Following a Mediterranean diet from an early age could help prevent excess weight in childhood. This is indicated by a new study of the CORALS projectpublished in the scientific journal Pediatric Obesity, which concludes that Preschool-aged children with greater adherence to this eating pattern have a healthier body composition.

The research, led by the group GENUD (IIS Aragón/University of Zaragoza), has analyzed 1.218 children between 3 and 6 years old from seven Spanish cities, among them Zaragoza, evaluating their adherence to the Mediterranean diet through validated questionnaires (MED4CHILD y COME-Kids F&B-FQ) and measuring indicators such as body mass index (BMI), total fat mass and abdominal fat.

The results show that Greater adherence to the Mediterranean pattern is associated with a lower BMI, less fat mass, and a smaller waist circumference.This effect was observed more consistently in girls.

"The study provides new scientific evidence on the benefits of the Mediterranean diet from the earliest years of life," explains the research team, which emphasizes the importance of establishing healthy eating habits at key stages of development. Childhood represents a key moment for consolidating these habits, and this study provides scientific evidence that positions the Mediterranean diet as an effective strategy to promote healthy body composition and prevent health problems related to excess weight, from an early age.

This study was conducted by researcher Alicia Larruy-García, supervised by Pilar De Miguel-Etayo, María Luisa Miguel and Luis Moreno, principal investigator of the GENUD group, all of them belonging to CIBEROBN, University of Zaragoza and the Aragon Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón). In addition, it has had the collaboration of several groups of the CYBEROBN such as the Rovira i Virgili University and the Pere Virgili Research Institute (URV-IISPV), the Maimonides Institute for Biomedical Research of Córdoba (IMIBIC), the Santiago de Compostela Health Research Institute (IDIS), the University of Valencia, the IdisNA Health Research Institute and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) of Barcelona.