A-L Matalas

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• Ph.D.
• Professor at Harokopio University of Athens

Worldwide, fermented foods (FF) are recognized as healthy and safe. Despite the rapid increase of research papers, there is a lack of systematic evaluation of the health benefits and risks of FF. The COST Action CA20128 “Promoting innovation of fermented foods” (PIMENTO) aims to provide a comprehensive assessment on the available evidence by compil...

The literature contains scant information on the relationship between tourists' gender and their attitudes toward food while vacationing. The present study had as its main aim to examine the role of gender in key behaviours concerning tourists' food choices and eating habits; in addition, our study evaluated the hypothesis that gender interacts wit...

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everyday reality and negatively impacted the global hospitality and tourism sectors. Even though food is an essential component of the tourist experience and the sustainable development of a region, research on the impact of COVID-19 on tourists’ food-related behaviour remains scant. By implementing a quantitative...

The research has shown that messages conveyed to children via food advertisements influence their perception of food; however, the food content of comic series addressed to children is poorly explored. We conducted a review so as to examine which particular foods are present in films and series addressed to children. Five electronic databases (Emer...

Despite the fact that tourism is one of Greece's economic pillars and that food can lead to greater satisfaction and loyalty to the destination, little research effort has been devoted to understanding tourists' food consumption complexities. In response, this study aimed at investigating the themes behind the food motivations of international tour...

(1) Background: Media play a significant role in forming audience perceptions about physical external appearance and food consumption patterns. It has been reported that children’s cartoons project slimness, and concomitantly consumption of poor nutritional quality food. However, data on the role of gender in this respect are lacking; thus, this wa...

BACKGROUND The association between sodium intake and successful aging is not elucidated to date. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between sodium intake and successful aging, in people aged >50 years, living in Greece. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted in middle aged and older adult participants of the ATTICA ( n = 1,128) and MEDI...

BACKGROUND: The potential for diet to prevent and treat mental health conditions is an exciting area of investigation; however, the impact of different protein sources on mental health outcomes is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between dietary protein intake and psychological distress, in people aged >50 years of age, living in Gre...

Background Research is lacking regarding the eating habits of cartoon characters in relation to their body weight. The present study explored the context of food consumption and the cartoon characters’ traits, according to body weight. Studies show that slim cartoon characters are usually considered as attractive; however, little is known regarding...

Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate the differences between the consumption of plant-based v . animal-based protein-rich diets on successful ageing, as well as to identify the optimal combination of dietary protein intake for facilitating successful ageing in people aged >50 years. Design A combined analysis was conducted in...

Aim The aim of the present work was to evaluate the association between the level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet and successful aging, taking into consideration the overall dietary pattern, rather than individual foods, among middle-aged and older individuals. Methods A harmonized dataset of middle-aged and older participants (>50 years ol...

Background/Study context: The aim of the present work was to investigate the association of Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR) with Successful Aging (SA) status and compare it to classic anthropometric indices, among middle-aged and older individuals. Methods: Among various socio-demographic, clinical and lifestyle characteristics, height, weight, waist...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between midday napping, sleeping hours, and successful aging among 2564 older (65+ years) individuals living in the insular Mediterranean region. Anthropometric, clinical, and socio-demographic characteristics, dietary habits, and lifestyle parameters were derived through standard proc...

Purpose: The purpose of this observational study was to examine the incidence of exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) in a 246-km continuous ultra-marathon. Methods: Over 2 years, 63 male finishers of the annual Spartathlon ultra-marathon foot race from Athens to Sparta, Greece were included in the data analysis. A blood sample was drawn from an...

The quality of carbohydrates in the diet, including whole grains, matters greatly to health. There is emerging evidence supporting various protective effects from whole grain consumption against certain chronic diseases. However, being free of disease is not a requirement for healthy ageing, as many older adults have one or more health conditions b...

Tea is one of the most-widely consumed beverages in the world with a number of different beneficial health effects, mainly ascribed to the polyphenolic content of the tea catechins. The aim of this study was to examine the consumption of green, black, or no tea, in relation to the previously validated successful ageing index (SAI; higher values "he...

This study aimed to identify how the opinions held by ancient physicians on athletes' diet compare to relevant guidelines for the general population. A secondary aim was to examine the evidence from Greek and Latin classical texts regarding dietary practices for ancient Olympic athletes. Approach The dietary approaches deemed suitable for supportin...

Objective To analyse the food content in animated comic series addressed to young audiences both in terms of the kinds of foods presented and the cues accompanying them. Design One hundred episodes of ten animated cartoon series with high television audience viewing (based on Average Minute Rating %) were reviewed and food items were classified in...

Purpose: Previous studies have reported associations between levels of protein and carbohydrate intake with several health outcomes. Yet, their effect on successful (or healthy) aging remains unknown. The purpose of the present work was to investigate the association of protein and carbohydrate intake levels with successful aging. Methods: A cro...

The consumption of dietary fats, which occur naturally in various foods, poses important impacts on health. The aim of this study was to elucidate the association of exclusive use of olive oil for culinary purposes with successful aging in adults aged >50 years old and residing in Greece. Use of olive oil in food preparation and bio-clinical charac...

Objective: Τo evaluate the combined modifying effect of dietary habits and/or features of healthy aging, on the lipoprotein-alpha [Lp(a)] and CVD risk association. Design and methods: Τhe ATTICA is a prospective, population-based study conducted in the greater metropolitan area of Athens (Attica, Greece). During 2001-2002, 3042 CVD-free adults (...

Objective: To investigate the association of Mediterranean food group consumption with successful aging (SA), among people more than 50 years old. Method: Dietary habits, as well as several bio-clinical characteristics of the Greek participants enrolled in the ATTICA (n = 1,128 men and women from Athens metropolitan area) and the MEDIS (n = 2,221 m...

Background: Depression has been linked to a large and growing economic and societal burden worldwide. In Europe, depression is one of the most frequent mental disorders across all age groups, but particularly in people aged 65 years and over, and higher depressive symptoms have been reported among individuals with chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes...

Background: To evaluate modifiable, lifestyle risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among older adults, across ageing, in the Mediterranean area. Methods: During 2005-2017, 3131 individuals from 26 Mediterranean islands of 5 countries, ≥65 years of age, were voluntarily enrolled. Anthropometrical, clinical and socio-demographic characteri...

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) as a combination of features has been known to significantly increase cardiovascular disease risk, while MetS presence is linked to lifestyle parameters, including physical activity and dietary habits; recently, the potential impact of sleeping habits has also become an issue under consideration. The aim of thi...

Low cholesterol and poor diet are associated with increased risk of depression. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between cholesterol, diet quality, and symptoms of depression in older adults enrolled in the Mediterranean Islands (MEDIS) study between 2004 and 2015. The sample consisted of 2749 individuals of which 1380 were female (F) (mean ag...

Background: The role of diet and inflammation in successful ageing is not transparent, and as such, is still being investigated. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the inflammatory potential of dietary habits in the successful ageing of a random sample of older adults living in the Mediterranean basin and who participated in the MEDIS (ME...

Introduction: This study examined the information on websites, blogs and forums in on-line comments about homemade non-and low-alcoholic fermented beverages (NAFB and LAFB), and evaluated the main concerns and motivations of people interested in these beverages. Material and methods: This descriptive study assessed the information from 2.349 on-lin...

Introduction: This study examined the information on websites, blogs and forums in on-line comments about homemade non-and low-alcoholic fermented beverages (NAFB and LAFB), and evaluated the main concerns and motivations of people interested in these beverages. Material and methods: This descriptive study assessed the information from 2.349 on-lin...

Background: Adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern is a well-established protective factor against cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, diet quality is only one aspect of the overall healthy lifestyle adopted by Mediterranean populations. The latter has never been evaluated as a multi-factorial composite lifestyle. Thus, the aim of the pre...

Fermented beverages hold a long tradition and contribution to the nutrition of many societies and cultures worldwide. Traditional fermentation has been empirically developed in ancient times as a process of raw food preservation and at the same time production of new foods with different sensorial characteristics, such as texture, flavour and aroma...

Purpose: The aim of the present work was to evaluate the relation between car use and the level of successful aging of a random sample of older adults living in the Mediterranean basin. Methods: During 2005-2011, 2749 older (aged 65-100 years) from 22 islands and the rural Mani region (Peloponnesus) of Greece were voluntarily enrolled in the Med...

PURPOSE: The aim of the present work was to evaluate the relation between car use and the level of successful aging of a random sample of older adults living in the Mediterranean basin. METHODS: During 2005-2011, 2749 older (aged 65-100 years) from 22 islands and the rural Mani region (Peloponnesus) of Greece were voluntarily enrolled in the Medite...

Objectives By the end of the 2000s, the economic situation in many European countries started to deteriorate, generating financial uncertainty, social insecurity and worse health status. The aim of the present study was to investigate how the recent financial crisis has affected the lifestyle health determinants and behaviours of older adults livin...

Objectives: Several lifestyle parameters including diet, physical activity and sleep were associated in isolation with the presence of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in adults, to date there is a paucity of studies which evaluated their combined role aging populations and especially with respect to gender. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to...

To evaluate the role of geography i.e., continental vs. insular Mediterranean, on successful aging among older inhabitants. During 2005-2014, 2693 elderly (aged 65 to 100 years) individuals from 21 Mediterranean islands in Greece, Italy and Spain as well as Cyprus, Malta, and the rural region of Mani (southeast continental region of Greece keeping...

Background: The determinants that promote successful ageing still remain unknown. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the role of skeletal muscle mass and body fat percentage (BF%), in the level of successful ageing. Methods: during 2005-2011, 2663 older (aged 65-100 years) from 21 Mediterranean islands and the rural Mani region (Pelopon...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of parental longevity and parental cardiovascular disease (CVD) history in CVD risk and successful aging of a random sample of older adults living in the Mediterranean basin and who participated in the MEDiterranean Islands (MEDIS) study. During 2005 to 2011, 2663 elders were voluntarily enrolle...

Objective: The determinants that promote living beyond life expectancy and successful aging still remain unknown. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the role of energy balance in successful aging, in a random sample of older adults living in the Mediterranean basin. Method: During 2005 to 2011, 2,663 older (aged 65-100 years) adults from 2...

Objective: To assess the association of breakfast intake with Mediterranean diet adherence, physical activity levels, obesity, selected cardiovascular risk markers and Fe status. Design: Cross-sectional study. BMI, body fat percentage and waist circumference were assessed. Physical activity was assessed using a pedometer and diet quality was eva...

The definition and determinants of successful ageing is still controversial. Although dietary habits have long been associated with ageing, eating habits and behaviours have rarely been included in various proposed indices of successful ageing. The aim of this work was to evaluate determinants of successful ageing together with assessment of dietar...

The aim of this work was to evaluate factors associated with arterial blood pressure in a sample of older Mediterranean people without known cardiovascular disease. During 2005 to 2011, 2813 older (aged 65–100 years) individuals from 22 Mediterranean islands and the rural Mani region (Peloponnesus) voluntarily enrolled. Standard procedures were use...

In the 1960s, the recorded dietary pattern of Southern European populations was typical of the traditional Mediterranean diet. However, diets have been rapidly changing. The aim of the current work was to examine the extent by which present food habits of inhabitants residing in various Mediterranean islands uphold past dietary traditions of the Me...

Purpose To determine fat and fatty acid (FA) profile of Greek mother's milk during the first 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and to examine their correlation with dietary and other maternal characteristics. Methods Milk samples and dietary records were obtained by mothers at 1st (n = 64), 3rd (n = 39), and 6th (n = 24) month postpartum. Fatty a...

To investigate the energy intake (EI), energy expenditure (EE), and body weight changes of solely breastfeeding women during the first six months postpartum. This is a prospective observational study of lactating women (n = 64). Three-day dietary records were filled in to assess EI. EE was calculated with a short physical activity questionnaire. En...

Purpose: To determine fat and fatty acid (FA) profile of Greek mother's milk during the first 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and to examine their correlation with dietary and other maternal characteristics. Methods: Milk samples and dietary records were obtained by mothers at 1st (n = 64), 3rd (n = 39), and 6th (n = 24) month postpartum. Fa...

The aim of this review is to examine the current scientific knowledge on the relationship between diet and Type 2 diabetes and consider further implications for public health. The review focuses on the main nutritional elements which have been identified as significant in the prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes. Research findings on the ro...

Data mining is a computational method that permits the extraction of patterns from large databases. We applied the data mining approach in data from 1140 children (9-13years), in order to derive dietary habits related to children's obesity status. Rules emerged via data mining approach revealed the detrimental influence of the increased consumption...

This anthology looks at the intersection of food and faith from the fourteenth to the twenty-first century, charting the complex relationships that exist between religious eating habits and politics, cultures and social structures. Its chapters consider the rise of food buying and consumerism in the fourteenth century, the Reformation ideology of f...

The present work documents the core diet of a population in a Mediterranean island that has been minimally eroded by industrialization and tourism, and links present food-consumption patterns to the foods' historical roots and to the exploitation of natural resources available to the community. Demographic, behavioral, cultivation, and food-intake...

Elevated blood pressure (BP) levels represent an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Lifestyle factors associated with increased BP levels have been extensively investigated in adults, but not in children. Therefore, we aimed to explore associations among modifiable lifestyle and levels of BP in 10- to13-year-old children. A subsample...

Aim: The scientific literature contains limited information on the description of the diets traditionally followed by the Greek populations of the Mediterranean region. The purpose of this study was to examine the meal habits of the Greek inhabitants of Cyprus during the pre-industrial era. Methodology: Data were collected from published studies an...

To determine tocopherol and fat content of Greek mother's milk during the first 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and correlate with maternal diet characteristics. Milk samples and dietary records were obtained by mothers at 1st (n = 64), 3rd (n = 39) and 6th (n = 23) month postpartum. Milk tocopherol content was determined by high-performance li...

To date, no published dietary indices have evaluated the overall effects of various dietary components, beliefs, and practices on the development of obesity in children. To develop a dietary index that contains dietary characteristics and practices implicated in the development of obesity. The proposed index (i.e., the E-KINDEX [Electronic Kids Die...

To quantify food consumption (based on food group classification) during several time periods in a sample of adolescents and to identify potential differences in food patterns between normal-weight and overweight participants. Cross-sectional study. Participants were classified as normal weight and overweight/obese. Dietary intake was assessed by 3...

Fasting and Food Habits in the Eastern Orthodox Church Antonia-Leda Matalas, Ph.D., Eleni Tourlouki M.Sc., and Chrystalleni Lazarou, Ph.D. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece This chapter examines fasting and the influence of Greek Orthodoxy on food habits from three perspectives: the literary, from inform...

The aim of the present analysis was to quantify food consumption based on food group classification during several time-periods of the day in a sample of adolescents and to identify potential differences in food patterns between normal weight and overweight participants. Nutritional assessment was conducted in 120 high-school students. BMI was used...

Inflammatory marker levels have long been associated with obesity status in adult populations, but relevant data are scarce in children, especially in diverse races. The aim of this study was thus to examine the association between overall and central obesity and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in Cypriot children of Greek ancestry. Eighty three ch...

To explore the influence of folate-fortified foods (ready-to-eat [RTE] breakfast cereals or fruit-juice drinks) on the relation between the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR 677C>T) polymorphism and plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations in healthy children. This was a cross-sectional study by face-to-face interview. A total of 18...

Οι λιπαρές ουσίες που χρησιμοποιούνται από τον άνθρωπο και διαμορφώνουν τις γευστικές προτιμήσεις του σχετίζονται άμεσα με τη δυνατότητα πρόσβασης σ’ αυτές. Παράδειγμα, οι γαστρονομικές επιλογές των κυπρίων χωρικών, που προσπαθούσαν να αξιοποιήσουν στο έπακρο τη μίλλα, την τσίππα, την καφούρκα, λίπη τα οποία μπορούσαν να αποκομίσουν από το περιβάλλ...

Certain dietary guidelines that provide for a type of periodic vegetarianism, during a total period of 180–200 days in a year, are prescribed for symbolic and spiritual reasons in the Eastern Christian Orthodox Church (ECOC); however, its potential implication on health has only recently begun to be investigated. We aimed to review evidence on the...

Background: The importance and significance of nutrition during pregnancy is well- recognized. Malnutrition can lead to birth defects as well as to maternal health problems. This paper focuses on recording the nutritional preferences of healthy Greek pregnant women, thus providing a guide for proper dietary consultation. Methods: This is a prospect...

The aim of the present work was to evaluate various socio-demographic, clinical, lifestyle and psychological characteristics of elderly (> 65 years) and very elderly (> 90 years) individuals without known cardiovascular disease. During 2005-7, 1190 elderly (aged > 65) men and women (from Cyprus, Mitilini, Samothraki, Cephalonia, Crete, Lemnos, Corf...

Regular physical exercise exerts a favorable effect on the skeleton. However, excessive physical exercise may have detrimental effects. A low bone mineral density (BMD) has been registered in highly trained runners. The aim of the present study was to evaluate potential effects of the Spartathlon, an annual ultramarathon race of 246 km, on bone met...

The proportion of elderly is increasing worldwide. This trend is paralleled by an increase in chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease. A limited number of studies have investigated the effect of diet on cardiometabolic risk factors (such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, obesity) in older populations, despite the fact that d...

There is some evidence regarding the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and obesity among adults; to our knowledge, however, no relevant data exist for children. We investigated the association between adherence to the MD and obesity status in children. A national cross-sectional study among 1140 children (mean age 10.7+/-...

Dietary modification is, in general, the preferred method when attempting reductions in blood pressure (BP) among adults. In children, however, few studies, have examined the relationship between dietary patterns and levels of BP, and the reported results are conflicting. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between levels...

Dietary and lifestyle behaviors at young ages have been associated with the development of various chronic diseases. Schools are regarded as an excellent setting for lifestyle modification; there is a lack, however, of published dietary data in Cypriot school children. Thus, the objective of this work was to describe lifestyle characteristics of a...

Elevated blood pressure (BP) levels represent an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Lifestyle factors associated with increased BP levels have been extensively investigated in adults, but not in children. Therefore, we aimed to explore associations among modifiable lifestyle and levels of BP in 10- to13-year-old children. A subsample...

This study aims to assess the role that health professional and State policies played in shaping breastfeeding practices and attitudes in Greece during the first half of the 20th century. Original texts were used; including those concerned with breastfeeding traditions, health professionals' attitudes to breastfeeding, infant feeding patterns, part...

We investigated the association between parental dietary beliefs and behaviours (DBB) and those of their children behaviours. Data were derived from a national cross-sectional study using multistage sampling design, among 1140 children (9-13 years). Principal component analysis was employed to extract the main factors out of eight variables assessi...

The Mediterranean diet (MD) prototype is widely used as an educational tool in public health programmes; few studies, however, have been conducted on the adherence of children to this diet. To evaluate the quality of Cypriot children's diet by assessing the degree of adherence to the MD. A national cross-sectional study among 1140 children (mean ag...

The 20th century stands out as a period of great social transitions, which precipitated dramatic changes in infant nutrition in many European countries. The scope of this study was to record the changes that occurred in infant feeding practices in Greece during the first half of the 20th century and to reveal the role that the health professionals...

Food choice in Greece follows a westernized model. We tried to identify the characteristics of clusters regarding food choice and behaviour in a large sample of Greek primary school students, in order to acknowledge some mediating parameters that need to be addressed when planning interventions to promote healthy nutrition. Cross-sectional study in...

Obesity status differs by socio-demographic factors, but data for Cyprus are scarce. An in-depth understanding of this relationship may be useful in designing public health programmes. The objective of the present study is to estimate overweight and obesity (OW/OB) prevalence among children and adults in Cyprus and identify related socio-demographi...

Exhaustive exercise has been implicated in the generation of reactive oxygen species, resulting in oxidative stress. We studied the effect of a long-distance, endurance exercise on oxidative stress parameters in athletes who participated in the ultramarathon race Spartathlon (246 km). This study included 18 runners (16 men and 2 women) aged 42.8 +/...

There is paucity of data on the dietary intake and patterns of Greek adolescents, which necessitates comprehensive nutritional assessments. Thus, our objectives were to investigate the dietary intake and nutritional status of urban adolescents in a cross-sectional descriptive survey. The study was part of the Harokopio Nutritional Assessment Study....

The scope of this study was to address the historical features underpinning the Greek variant of the Mediterranean diet and to examine whether relevant differences exist among dietary patterns followed in Greece prior to World War II and those recorded in the 1960s within the Seven Countries Study framework. For this purpose, archival data on famil...

To evaluate the effect of continuous, moderate-intensity ultra-endurance running exercise on skeletal muscle and hepatic damage, as indicated by serum enzyme activity measured immediately following the race. Thirty-nine runners of the Spartathlon race (a 246-km continuous race from Athens to Sparta, Greece) who managed to complete the race within t...