Abstract

Introduction: The Mediterranean diet is one of the most complete and adequate to maintain a correct nutritional status. In older adults, because of the physiological changes typical of old age, there is evidence of a change in their diet, increasing cardiovascular risk and altering their nutritional status. Objective: To analyze adherence to the Mediterranean diet and its association with nutritional status and cardiovascular risk in non-institutionalized older adults. Materials and Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study in non-institutionalized older adults in Chile. Nutritional status was determined by BMI, cardiovascular risk was determined by waist circumference/height ratio. To determine adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MDI), the ID-Chile test was used, which contains 22 questions, evaluating the frequency of consumption of 14 food groups. For statistical analysis, the p value was calculated using Pearson’s chi square. The level of significance was established at 5% (p<0.05). Results: 61% of the participants were women, an average age of 72.13 years, with a greater representation of obesity and overweight (31.15%). 39% of the participants were men, with an average age of 72.33 years and mostly with normal weight or overweight (35.89%). Significant differences were observed between men and women considering weight (p<0.052). No significant relationship was observed with variables such as age, BMI, adherence to the Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular risk. A significant relationship was observed when comparing adherence to the Mediterranean diet with nutritional status (p<0.027) and cardiovascular risk (p<0.032). Conclusion: Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is a factor associated with better nutritional status and reduced cardiovascular risk in the elderly population. It is important to massify the food consumption of this lifestyle to improve the quality of life of older adults.