Abstract
Background/Objectives: The relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQL) in community-dwelling older adults and the consumption of foods typical of the Mediterranean diet (MD) has not been studied. The main objective of this study was to determine which MD foods, as well as overall MD adherence, are associated with HRQL in community-dwelling older adults, taking into account both physical and mental components. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted including community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years or over. Sociodemographic variables, the Spanish version of the SF-12v2 quality-of-life questionnaire (physical and mental component scores), and data on the consumption of MD foods and adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) were collected. Two binary logistic regression models, adjusted for age and sex, were fitted to analyse which food types included in the MEDAS questionnaire were significantly associated with a higher probability of having good physical and mental components of HRQL. Results: A total of 285 participants were recruited, with a mean age of 74.97 (SD 5.75) years, predominantly female (87.7%, n = 250) and 36.3% (n = 104) lived alone. The sample showed low physical quality of life [PCS-12: 42.88 IQR (33.61-51.09)], moderately good mental quality of life [MCS-12: 51.09 (39.97-57.42)] and good adherence to the Mediterranean diet [MEDAS: 9 (8-10)]. Binary logistic regression for PCS-12 showed that younger age, the joint consumption of less than one serving of butter per day, less than one cup of sugar-sweetened beverages per day and two or more servings of vegetables per day were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with good physical quality of life. Similarly, living alone, four or more tablespoons of olive oil per day and less than 2 servings of desserts per week were associated with good mental quality of life (MCS-12). Conclusions: The Mediterranean diet is related to physical and mental quality of life in older adults, with the consumption of specific foods within the MD showing significant associations in multivariate analyses. Identifying the items that are most closely related to good physical and mental health is key to promoting healthy lifestyle habits that are directly linked to improving quality of life from a holistic perspective. Understanding the associations between quality of life and consumption or avoidance of certain foods could help inform future nutritional interventions aimed at improving both physical and mental health in older adults.