Dietetic indices for assessment of diet quality

Abstract

The relation between diet and health can be evaluated by the level of some food components (nutrients), kinds of food, group or food groups and eating patterns. The association between these parameters and some chronic diseases can be examined by dietary instruments of global diet assessments and some indices have been considered for this end. The aim of this work was to describe the different indices for assessing diet quality, including the Index of Nutrients, Dietary Variety Score, Dietary Diversity Score, Diet Quality Index, Healthy Eating Index, Diet Quality Index Revised, Alternative Healthy Eating Index, Recommended Food Score, Alternative Mediterranean Diet Score, as well as their derivations. These indices show an improvement in the concept of quality, emphasizing the functional properties of food components related to risk reduction of the most prevalent diseases nowadays.