THE WESTERNIZATION OF THE TRADITIONAL ITALIAN EATING HABIT AND THE INCREASE OF OBESITY IN OUR COUNTRY

Background and aim: Few contributions reported detailed informations on the diet composition in Italian obese subjects (Ricci G et al, 2011). However in the last two decades obesity prevalence has increased by 25% in our country (ISTAT, 2000). The aim was to investigate the dietary pattern by means of qualitative and quantitative determination of food intake in a rappresentative sample of obese subjects.Material and methods: A total of 152 obese and severely obese subjects were admitted to the study. Anthropometric data were collected at the admission, under informed consent. Dietary habits were assessed with detailed questioning by an experienced nutritionist using a computed database which determined nutrient intakes, according to the Italian table of food composition. The recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for the Italian population were used as the reference range. Results: The values are expressed as 50th (25th, 75th) 95th percentile in the tables. The comparisons with RDA show a significant difference for all intakes. In particular, proteins and fats are twice the RDA; animal proteins arethree times the RDA. Conclusions: Instead of the prevalent intake of complex carbohydrate (bread and pasta), the excessive consumption of protein, especially animal protein, could account for the oncoming Westernization in traditional Italian eating habit (Inelmen EM et al, 2008). The recent changes of the Mediterranean diet can explain the dramatic rise of obesity prevalence in our country.