FOOD AND NUTRIENT INTAKE IN SPAIN FROM 19 40-1988 - ANALYSIS OF CONSISTENCY WITH THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

BACKGROUND: Not enough information is available regarding Spanish alim entation from the Civil War up to the present. Furthermore, there are some evidence that the Spaniards are leaving behind their traditional, healthy Mediterranean diet, The aim of this study was therefore to de scribe the food and nutrient intake trends of the Spanish population f rom 1940-1988 and establish to what extent the pattern of the Mediterr anean diet has been maintained. METHODS: New food balance sheets for t he Spanish population have been elaborated using all the information a vailable and consistently applying the methodology of the European Uni on over the period from 1940-1988. RESULTS: Total caloric intake and t hat of all the macronutrients increased over the study period although this increase was greater after 1960. The contribution of lipids to t otal caloric intake has increased (30% in 1960-1968 and 42% from 1980- 1988), protein contribution has remained the same (13% 1960-1968 and 1 3% 1980-1988) and carbohydrate intake has decreased (58% from 1960-196 8 to 45% from 1980-1988). These changes are the result of an important increase in the consumption of meat, eggs, milk and derivatives. None theless the high intake of fruit and vegetables, fish and olive and se ed oils has been maintained. Thus, from 1980-1988 the ingestion of mon ounsaturated/saturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acids was 1.3 and 0.5, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The first systemati c reconstruction of the alimentary and nutritional history of the Span ish population over the last fifty years has been carried out. The Spa nish diet has undergone typical changes associated with economic devel opment but continues to be consistent with the pattern of the Mediterr anean diet. These changes in diet are, however, of worry because of th eir deviation from optimum nutritional patterns.