Evaluation of the relationship between compliance with the mediterranean diet and intestinal health

This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between compliance with the Mediterranean Diet and intestinal health. A total of 250 volunteer students who met the participation criteria and were enrolled in the fall semester of the 2023-2024 academic year at the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University were included in the study. In the survey form applied to the students participating in the study, general information about the participants, nutritional habits, physical activity status, and food consumption frequencies were questioned. Bristol Stool Scale was used to evaluate the intestinal health of the students, and the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) was used to evaluate their compliance with the Mediterranean Diet. The average age of the students participating in the study was found to be 21.38±3.22 years, and the average BMI was 21.56±3.23 kg/m². The students; average KIDMED score was found to be 4.55±2.48. It was determined that the KIDMED total scores of students who regularly engage in physical activity are statistically significantly higher than those of students who do not regularly engage in physical activity (p<0,01). It was found that the total KIDMED scores of students who did not skip main meals were significantly higher than those of students who skipped main meals (p<0,001). A weak positive relationship was found between the ages of the students participating in the study and their total KIDMED scores (s=0,156; p<0,05). It was determined that 19,6% of the students participating in the study had fast colonic transit, 65,6% had normal colonic transit and 14.8% had slow colonic transit. There was no statistically significant difference between the students; KIDMED total scores and Bristol scores (p>0,05). In our study, it was determined that the majority of the students showed moderate compliance with the Mediterranean diet and had a normal colonic transit rate. There is a need for more studies to be conducted in different populations showing the effect of the Mediterranean diet on intestinal health. Keywords: Mediterranean Diet, Healthy Eating, Intestinal Health, Bristol Stool Scale