Abstract
BACKGROUND: Long COVID has been associated with increased cardiovascular risk and chronic low-grade inflammation, raising concerns about its long-term metabolic consequences. Given that the Mediterranean diet (MD) has shown beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors and inflammation in various populations, it is important to explore its potential impact on individuals with Long COVID. Therefore, the aim is to determine the association of the MD with cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Caucasian subjects diagnosed with Long COVID. METHODS: Cross-sectional study, 305 subjects diagnosed with Long COVID were included following the WHO criteria. Adherence to MD was evaluated with the MEDAS (Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener) with 14 items used in Prevention with Mediterranean Diet study (PREDIMED study). The criteria considered to diagnose MetS were blood pressure, glycemia, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and waist circumference. Other CVRFs considered were tobacco consumption, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, body mass index, and baseline uric acid levels. The association between MD with CVRF and the number and components of MetS was analyzed using multiple regression models and multinomial regression. RESULTS: The mean age was 52.75 ± 11.94 years (men 55.74 ± 12.22 and women 51.33 ± 11.57; p = 0.002), (68% women). The mean of the MEDAS questionnaire was 7.76 ± 2.37. The presented MetS were 23.6% (39.8% men and 15.9% women p < 0.001). In the multiple regression analysis, after adjusting for age and average time from acute COVID-19 infection to the date of inclusion in this study, the mean MD score showed a negative association with uric acid (β = -0.295; 95% CI: -0.496 to -0.093), BMI (β = -0.049; 95% CI: -0.096 to -0.002), the number of MetS components (β = -0.210; 95% CI: -0.410 to -0.010), and waist circumference (WC) (β = -0.021; 95% CI: -0.037 to -0.003) and a positive association with HDL cholesterol (β = -0.018; 95% CI: 0.001 to -0.037). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that higher Mediterranean diet scores are associated with lower levels of uric acid, fewer MetS components, smaller waist circumference, and higher HDL cholesterol levels in individuals with Long COVID.