AUTHOR=Kokkinopoulou Anna , Pagkalos Ioannis , Hassapidou Maria , Kafatos Anthony 

TITLE=RETRACTED: Dietary Patterns in Adults Following the Christian Orthodox Fasting Regime in Greece

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.803913

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2022.803913

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=Objective: The aim of the study was to identify and describe the dietary patterns seen in a carefully selective sample that follows the Christian Orthodox Church (COC) fasting regime in Greece.
Methods: 361 individuals from Northern Greece participated in this cross-sectional study. 176 subjects have been fasting according to the COC recommendations since childhood and 185 non fasters acted as the control group. Dietary data from a validated food frequency questionnaire were used to derive dietary patterns by principal component analysis.
Results: Three distinct dietary patterns were identified in the fasting population, the “COC Fasting”, the “Western” and the “Traditional” dietary pattern, while in the non fasting population two dietary patterns were found the “Western” and the “Traditional”. The dietary patterns in the fasting population were associated with healthier lifestyle choices, like abstinence from alcohol and smoke and reduced red and processed meats consumption.
Conclusion: Findings from the study revealed that people who adhere to the COC fasting recommendations since childhood tend to follow this dietary pattern throughout the year. By gaining insight into the energy and nutrient intake of this unique dietary pattern, public heath stakeholders could promote more healthier eating behaviors to prevent non-communicable chronic diseases, like obesity and metabolic syndrome