eprintid: 26914 rev_number: 8 eprint_status: archive userid: 2 dir: disk0/00/02/69/14 datestamp: 2026-01-26 23:30:13 lastmod: 2026-01-26 23:30:14 status_changed: 2026-01-26 23:30:13 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Godos, Justyna creators_name: Caruso, Giuseppe creators_name: Olvera-Moreira, Marco Antonio creators_name: Giampieri, Francesca creators_name: Tutusaus, Kilian creators_name: Toral-Noristz, Melannie creators_name: Zambrano-Villacres, Raynier creators_name: Leonardi, Alice creators_name: Balzano, Rosa M. G. creators_name: Galvano, Fabio creators_name: Castellano, Sabrina creators_name: Grosso, Giuseppe creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: francesca.giampieri@uneatlantico.es creators_id: kilian.tutusaus@uneatlantico.es creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: creators_id: title: Loneliness, Aloneness, and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Southern Italian Individuals ispublished: pub subjects: uneat_sn divisions: uneatlantico_produccion_cientifica divisions: unic_produccion_cientifica divisions: uniromana_produccion_cientifica full_text_status: public keywords: loneliness; aloneness; Mediterranean diet; diet quality; cognitive function; neurological behavior abstract: Background/Objectives: Research across multiple disciplines has explored how nutrition is shaped by social isolation and feelings of loneliness, especially in the elderly population. Evidence from neuroscience highlights that loneliness may alter eating patterns, encouraging emotional eating or other compensatory food behaviors. Conversely, isolation from social contexts is often linked to a reduced variety of nutrient intake. This study set out to examine how psychosocial aspects, particularly social connectedness and feeling alone, relate to adherence to the Mediterranean diet among older adults residing in Sicily, southern Italy. Methods: Dietary habits of 883 adults were collected through food frequency questionnaires and assessed for adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Loneliness was measured through a targeted question from a standardized tool designed to capture depressive symptoms. Direct questions asked whether participants were engaged in social networks, such as family, friends and neighborhoods, or religious communities, in order to assess objective aloneness. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess associations between variables of interest. Results: After accounting for potential confounders, both loneliness and aloneness showed an association with stronger adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Specifically, individuals experiencing loneliness and aloneness were less likely to have high adherence to the Mediterranean diet (OR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.15, 0.51, and OR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.54, respectively). Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of fostering social engagement among older populations, who may particularly benefit from maintaining active social ties to support healthier eating behaviors. date: 2026 publication: Nutrients volume: 18 number: 3 pagerange: 387 id_number: doi:10.3390/nu18030387 refereed: TRUE issn: 2072-6643 official_url: http://doi.org/10.3390/nu18030387 access: open language: en citation: Artículo Materias > Alimentación Universidad Europea del Atlántico > Investigación > Artículos y libros Universidad Internacional do Cuanza > Investigación > Producción Científica Universidad de La Romana > Investigación > Producción Científica Abierto Inglés Background/Objectives: Research across multiple disciplines has explored how nutrition is shaped by social isolation and feelings of loneliness, especially in the elderly population. Evidence from neuroscience highlights that loneliness may alter eating patterns, encouraging emotional eating or other compensatory food behaviors. Conversely, isolation from social contexts is often linked to a reduced variety of nutrient intake. This study set out to examine how psychosocial aspects, particularly social connectedness and feeling alone, relate to adherence to the Mediterranean diet among older adults residing in Sicily, southern Italy. Methods: Dietary habits of 883 adults were collected through food frequency questionnaires and assessed for adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Loneliness was measured through a targeted question from a standardized tool designed to capture depressive symptoms. Direct questions asked whether participants were engaged in social networks, such as family, friends and neighborhoods, or religious communities, in order to assess objective aloneness. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess associations between variables of interest. Results: After accounting for potential confounders, both loneliness and aloneness showed an association with stronger adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Specifically, individuals experiencing loneliness and aloneness were less likely to have high adherence to the Mediterranean diet (OR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.15, 0.51, and OR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.54, respectively). Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of fostering social engagement among older populations, who may particularly benefit from maintaining active social ties to support healthier eating behaviors. metadata Godos, Justyna; Caruso, Giuseppe; Olvera-Moreira, Marco Antonio; Giampieri, Francesca; Tutusaus, Kilian; Toral-Noristz, Melannie; Zambrano-Villacres, Raynier; Leonardi, Alice; Balzano, Rosa M. G.; Galvano, Fabio; Castellano, Sabrina y Grosso, Giuseppe mail SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, francesca.giampieri@uneatlantico.es, kilian.tutusaus@uneatlantico.es, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR, SIN ESPECIFICAR (2026) Loneliness, Aloneness, and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Southern Italian Individuals. Nutrients, 18 (3). p. 387. ISSN 2072-6643 document_url: http://repositorio.uneatlantico.es/id/eprint/26914/1/nutrients-18-00387.pdf