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Mediterranean Diet and Metabolic Disorders

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2025 | Viewed by 357

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Interests: metabolic syndrome; obesity; Mediterranean diet; dyslipidemia; diabetes; nutrigenetics; gene–diet interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Mediterranean diet is a dietary pattern, accompanied by a healthy lifestyle, that has developed in the countries of the Mediterranean basin. This type of diet is currently being widely studied in the field of nutrition and medicine, and its effects on health are being assessed.

In recent years, great advances have been made in our understanding of the effects of the Mediterranean diet on the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, but further scientific evidence is still required in the field of nutrition in order to be able to make recommendations to the general population about certain metabolic disorders. Having incorporated data from various omics, we must still determine which subjects respond best to specific recommendations. Precision nutrition plays a crucial role here, as it is essential for treating or preventing metabolic disorders or related risk factors and contributes to our detailed understanding of how food and nutrition affect states of health and disease and how each individual may respond to a diet depending on their individual characteristics.

Therefore, the Special Issue “Mediterranean Diet and Metabolic Disorders” will focus on providing scientific evidence from various fields on the effects of the Mediterranean diet on health at the metabolic level.

Dr. Jose V. Sorlí
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Mediterranean diet
  • metabolic disorders
  • metabolic risk factors
  • health effects
  • nutritional recommendations

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 1570 KiB  
Article
Predictors of Vitamin D Status in Religious and Intermittent Fasting: A Comparative Study in Orthodox Nuns and Women from the General Population
by Spyridon N. Karras, Konstantinos Michalakis, Maria Kypraiou, Antonios Vlastos, Marios Anemoulis, Georgios Koukoulis, Zadalla Mouslech, Filotas Talidis, Costas Haitoglou, Georgios Michos, Evangelos G. Papanikolaou, Dimitrios Skoutas, Neoklis Georgopoulos and Georgios Tzimagiorgis
Nutrients 2025, 17(10), 1656; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17101656 - 13 May 2025
Viewed by 275
Abstract
Background: Vitamin D plays a key role in bone metabolism and immune regulation. Populations with restricted sun exposure or limited dietary intake are particularly vulnerable to vitamin D deficiency. Orthodox Christian nuns represent a unique group in this regard, due to traditional clothing, [...] Read more.
Background: Vitamin D plays a key role in bone metabolism and immune regulation. Populations with restricted sun exposure or limited dietary intake are particularly vulnerable to vitamin D deficiency. Orthodox Christian nuns represent a unique group in this regard, due to traditional clothing, limited outdoor activity, and prolonged religious fasting. However, few studies have compared them with lay individuals following similar dietary practices. Objective: This study aimed to investigate predictors of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in two female populations: Orthodox Christian nuns and women from the general population practicing intermittent (religious or non-religious) fasting. We also aimed to develop predictive models of vitamin D status for each group based on lifestyle and biochemical parameters. Methods: A total of 85 women (40 Orthodox nuns and 45 laywomen), aged 30–50 years, were enrolled. Serum 25(OH)D, parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium levels, and anthropometric indices, including body mass index (BMI), total body fat, and visceral fat, were measured. Dietary calcium and vitamin D intake, as well as sun exposure, were assessed using validated questionnaires. Separate stepwise multiple regression models were constructed for each group to identify independent predictors of 25(OH)D concentrations. An additional combined model, including all participants, was also explored. Results: PTH was the most significant predictor, negatively correlating with 25(OH)D concentrations in both groups (p = 0.038), highlighting its regulatory role in vitamin D metabolism. When analyzed separately, the model for Orthodox nuns showed stronger explanatory power (adjusted R2 = 0.718; p = 0.013) compared with the control group (adjusted R2 = 0.362; p = 0.038), with PTH emerging as a key predictor in both. Conclusions: Distinct predictors of vitamin D status were identified in each group, reflecting the complex interplay between lifestyle and physiological factors. These findings suggest that targeted interventions, such as addressing PTH regulation in fasting populations or enhancing sun exposure in the general population, may be more effective in preventing vitamin D deficiency depending on the context. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mediterranean Diet and Metabolic Disorders)
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