The Impact of Adhering to a Mediterranean Diet on the Severity of Overuse Tendinopathy Symptoms

Abstract

Aim: The Mediterranean diet’s high carbohydrate content and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties make it appealing to athletes. Tendinopathy etiology is influenced by nutrition. Athletes with high adherence to the Mediterranean diet may have a lower severity of tendinopathy. This study aimed to investigate the effect of adherence to the Mediterranean diet on tendinopathy severity. Material and Methods: Exercise habits, physical activity level, body region, stage of the injury, age, body mass index, gender, smoking status, and presence of chronic diseases of individuals older than 18 years of age and who were diagnosed with tendinopathy in the sports medicine clinic were recorded in this cross-sectional study. The Revised Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Overuse Injury and Health Problems Questionnaires and the Mediterranean diet adherence screener were applied to participants. Results: A total of 152 participants, 52% (n=79) of whom were female, with lateral epicondylopathy (n=71), Achilles tendinopathy (n=25), plantar fasciitis (n=23), patellar tendinopathy (n=13), and other tendinopathies were included in the study. Upon examination of the relationship between the level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the severity of complaints due to overuse, no significant differences were found between groups (p=0.935, and p=0.927, respectively). A weak negative correlation was found between weekly exercise duration and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (rs=-0.237; p=0.016). Conclusion: No evidence was found that adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with differences in the severity of tendinopathy complaints. Athletes with high weekly exercise durations do not adopt the Mediterranean diet as an optimal dietary approach.