20.500.12556/DiRROS-30644 Mediterranean diet adherence, body composition, and recovery outcomes in hospitalised COVID-19 patients a mixed-methods study Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of nutritional and lifestyle factors in recovery from severe illness, yet their role in post-hospitalization rehabilitation remains insufficiently understood. Methods: This study investigated the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet, body composition, and recovery-related outcomes in individuals following severe COVID-19 using an explanatory mixed-methods design. Thirtynine patients were assessed at hospital discharge and after 8 weeks of unsupervised rehabilitation in a single-centre prospective cohort study conducted in Slovenia (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04860206, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04860206). Results: Quantitative analyses showed a significant increase in fat-free mass over time and positive associations between fat-free mass and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Qualitative findings further revealed that individuals with higher adherence demonstrated structured routines, adaptive coping strategies, and greater psychosocial resilience during recovery. Discussion: Together, these findings suggest that adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern, alongside related lifestyle behaviors, may support favorable body composition and enhance recovery processes following severe illness. This study provides an integrated perspective on physiological and behavioral determinants of recovery, highlighting the potential of nutrition-based approaches in post- COVID-19 rehabilitation. body composition clinical nutrition COVID-19 rehabilitacija dietary patterns lifestyle factors Mediterranean diet mixed-methods rehabilitation telesna sestava klinična prehrana COVID-19 recovery prehranjevalne navade dejavniki življenjskega sloga mediteranska prehrana mešane metode rehabilitacija true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik © 2026 Teraž, Šimunič, Pišot and Pišot. Neznano 2026-06-30 14:15:40 2026-06-30 14:15:40 2026-07-01 03:56:05 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 Soavtorji: Boštjan Šimunič, Rado Pišot, Saša Pišot; Nasl. z nasl. zaslona; Opis vira z dne 30. 6. 2026; 9 str. [article no.] ǂ1834540 Vol. 13 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-01-01 613.2:616.9-056.24 2296-861X 10.3389/fnut.2026.1834540 283124995 26-06-30-Teraz-283124995.pdf 26-06-30-Teraz-283124995.pdf 1 522A8A85BA89A1DDF0C0633772E84348 1c2f51ea2ca57f83340af798321ab3e5728ff0808afc1e85c1e12bff5e015044 85bb445d-747d-11f1-9c8b-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=46670 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2026.1834540/full 1 6a20799f-747d-11f1-9c8b-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=46669 Znanstveno-raziskovalno središče Koper / Centro di Ricerche Scientifiche Capodistria 0 0 0