The longevity and excellent health status of the population of Crete has been attributed to its lifestyle and dietary habits. The impact of Greek Orthodox Christian Church fasting on these dietary habits has never been studied. One hundred and twenty Greek Orthodox Christians living in Crete participated in a 1-year prospective study. One half of the subjects, who fasted regularly (fasters), and sixty non-faster controls were followed longitudinally for the three main fasting periods over 1 year; Christmas (40 d), Lent (48 d) and the Assumption (15 d). Pre-and end-holy days measurements were performed in each fasting period including: 24 h dietary recall, blood collection and anthropometric measurements. Based on the 24 h recall, fasters as compared with controls had lower intakes of end-holy days dietary cholesterol, total fat, saturated fatty acids, trans-fatty acids and protein (P, 0·001). Fasters presented a decrease of 753 kJ (180 kcal) in end-holy days energy intake (P, 0·05) compared with an increase of 573 kJ (137 kcal) in the controls (P,0·05). Fasters had a decrease in end-holy days Ca intake (P, 0·001) and an increase in end-holy days total dietary fibre (P,0·001) and folate (P, 0·05), attributed to their higher consumption of fruit and vegetables in end-holy periods (P, 0·001). There were no differences for other vitamins or minerals between pre-and end-holy periods in both groups except for vitamin B 2 . The Orthodox Christian dietary regulations are an important component of the Mediterranean diet of Crete characterised by low levels of dietary saturated fatty acids, high levels of fibre and folate, and a high consumption of fruit, vegetables and legumes.

Background/Aims: We aimed at examining the intake of ready-to-eat cereals (RTEC) among adolescents in Crete, Greece, and investigate relationships with health and diet indicators. Methods: A sample of 392 adolescents (183 boys, 209 girls) aged 15 ± 0.4 years, attending high schools of two major counties in Crete, was studied to determine consumption of RTEC using a frequency questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were performed and blood was drawn for analysis of serum lipoproteins and blood glucose (BG). The physical fitness was assessed with the 20-meter shuttle run test (SRT) and the amount of time watching television was estimated. Nutrient intakes were calculated through 24-hour dietary recalls. Results: 42% (n = 77) of boys and 43% (n = 90) of girls reported consumption of RTEC at least once per week. Approximately 40% of the male and 47% of the female consumers reported eating RTEC only at meals other than breakfast. RTEC consumption was inversely related to the obesity indices and BG levels, and positively related to the SRT (p < 0.05 in all analyses). RTEC consumers had significantly higher intakes of fibre, magnesium, calcium, iron, folate, and vitamins A, B₂ and B₆ (p < 0.05 in all analyses). Conclusion: Our results demonstrated favourable associations between RTEC intake and health and diet indicators in Greek adolescents, with potential implications for improved health status and chronic disease risk reduction.

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