scholarly journals The Mediterranean diet: science and practice

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (1a) ◽  
pp. 105-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter C Willett
Keyword(s):  
Coronary Heart Disease ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Hdl Cholesterol ◽  
Metabolic Effects ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Monounsaturated Fat ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
The Mediterranean

AbstractObjectiveTo provide an overview of research relevant to the Mediterranean diet.DesignPersonal perspectives.SettingInternational.SubjectPopulations in Europe, North America, Asia.ResultsApproximately 50 years ago, Keys and colleagues described strikingly low rates of coronary heart disease in the Mediterranean region, where fat intake was relatively high but largely from olive oil. Subsequent controlled feeding studies have shown that compared to carbohydrate, both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats reduce LDL and triglycerides and increase HDL cholesterol. Importantly, these beneficial metabolic effects are greater in the presence of underlying insulin resistance. In a detailed analysis within the Nurses' Health Study, trans fat from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (absent in traditional Mediterranean diets) was most strongly related to risk of heart disease, and both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat were inversely associated with risk. Epidemiologic evidence has also supported beneficial effects of higher intakes of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, and daily consumption of moderate amounts of alcohol. Together with regular physical activity and not smoking, our analyses suggest that over 80% of coronary heart disease, 70% of stroke, and 90% of type 2 diabetes can be avoided by healthy food choices that are consistent with the traditional Mediterranean diet.ConclusionBoth epidemiologic and metabolic studies suggest that individuals can benefit greatly by adopting elements of Mediterranean diets.

scholarly journals The Mediterranean Eating in Scotland Experience project: evaluation of an Internet-based intervention promoting the Mediterranean diet

2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angeliki Papadaki ◽  
Jane A. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Hdl Cholesterol ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Monounsaturated Fat ◽  
Feedback Intervention ◽  
Intention To Treat ◽  
The Mediterranean

A 6-month intervention study with a quasi-experimental design was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of an Internet-based, stepwise, tailored-feedback intervention promoting four key components of the Mediterranean diet. Fifty-three (intervention group) and nineteen (control group) healthy females were recruited from the Universities of Glasgow and Glasgow Caledonian, Scotland, respectively. Participants in the intervention group received tailored dietary and psychosocial feedback and Internet nutrition education over a 6-month period, while participants in the control group were provided with minimal dietary feedback and general healthy-eating brochures. Internet education was provided via an innovative Mediterranean Eating Website. Dietary changes were assessed with 7 d estimated food diaries at baseline and 6 months, and data were analysed to calculate the Mediterranean Diet Score, a composite score based on the consumption of eight components of the traditional Mediterranean diet. The ‘intention-to-treat’ analyses showed that, at 6 months, participants in the intervention group had significantly increased their intake of vegetables, fruits and legumes, as well as the MUFA:saturated fatty acid ratio in their diet, and had significantly increased plasma HDL-cholesterol levels and a reduced ratio of total:HDL-cholesterol. Participants in the control group increased their intake of legumes but showed no other favourable significant changes compared with baseline. This Internet-based, tailored-feedback intervention promoting components of the Mediterranean diet holds promise in encouraging a greater consumption of plant foods, as well as increasing monounsaturated fat and decreasing saturated fat in the Scottish diet; it also shows that the Mediterranean diet can be adopted by healthy individuals in northern European countries.

scholarly journals Effects of Mediterranean Diet or Low-Fat Diet on Blood Fatty Acids in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease. A Randomized Intervention Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 2389
Author(s):  
Monica Gianna Giroli ◽  
José Pablo Werba ◽  
Patrizia Risé ◽  
Benedetta Porro ◽  
Angelo Sala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coronary Heart Disease ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Intervention Study ◽  
Dietary Intervention ◽  
Favorable Effect ◽  
Low Fat ◽  
Total N ◽  
Low Fat Diet ◽  
The Mediterranean

The Mediterranean diet (MD) prevents cardiovascular disease by different putative mechanisms, including modifications in the blood fatty acid (FA) profile. Polytherapy for secondary cardiovascular prevention might mask the effect of MD on the FA profile. This study was aimed to assess whether MD, in comparison with a low-fat diet (LFD), favorably modifies the blood FA profile in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) on polytherapy. One hundred and twenty patients with a recent history of coronary stenting, randomized to MD or to LFD, completed 3 months of this open-label dietary intervention study. Diet Mediterranean-ness was evaluated using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MeDAS) score. Both diets significantly reduced saturated FA (p < 0.01). Putative favorable changes in total n-3 FA (p = 0.03) and eicosapentaenoic acid plus docosahexaenoic acid (EPA + DHA; p = 0.04) were significantly larger with MD than with LFD. At 3 months, in the whole cohort, the MeDAS score correlated inversely with palmitic acid (R = −0.21, p = 0.02), and with palmitoleic acid (R = −0.32, p = 0.007), and positively with total n-3 FA (R = 0.19, p = 0.03), EPA (R = 0.28, p = 0.002), and EPA + DHA (R = 0.21, p = 0.02). In CHD patients on polytherapy, both MD and LFD shift FA blood composition towards a healthier profile, with a more favorable effect of MD on omega−3 levels.

Abstract 19: Dietary Lipophilic Load and Dietary Lipophilic Index with Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Middle-Aged Women: Beyond Conventional Fat Classifications

Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 131 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric L Ding ◽  
Katerina M De Vito ◽  
Hongyu Wu ◽  
Qi Sun ◽  
An Pan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Coronary Heart Disease ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Dietary Fat ◽  
Hdl Cholesterol ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Chd Risk ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Total Fat ◽  
Traditional Risk Factors

Introduction: Studies indicate dietary types of fats are associated with risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Traditional broad classifications may incompletely capture the diversity of fatty acids on CHD. The novel lipid index Dietary Lipophilic Load (DLL) reflects a unique combination of fatty acid fluidity, intermolecular attraction, plus relative fat quantity, while Dietary Lipophilic Index (DLI) is a measure of average fat fluidity, regardless of fat quantity. Thus, we evaluated the association, DLL and DLI, with risk of incident CHD. METHODS: Participants included 30,932 women in the Women’s Health Study (WHS), who were free of major chronic diseases at baseline. DLL was calculated by weighted summation of the multiplicative product of each fatty acid’s intakes (g/day) and its melting points (Celcius); DLI was calculated by dividing DLL by total fat intake (g/day). Hazard ratios (HRs) were adjusted for established risk factors, with updated dietary data, and potential mediators. We also investigated hypothesized interactions with C-Reactive Protein (CRP). RESULTS: There were 1137 cases of incident CHD in 525,828 person-years over 19 years follow-up. At baseline in over 27,000 women with blood samples, DLL and DLI were not correlated with serum cholesterol, triglyceride, HbA1c, ICAM-1, or CRP biomarkers (r<0.02 for all). In overall multivariate analysis, DLL was associated with higher risk of CHD (extreme quintile HR=1.40, 95%CI: 1.11-1.76, P trend=0.0002), while DLI was not (HR=0.83, 95%CI: 0.67-1.03, P trend=0.75). DLL results were independent beyond adjustment for dietary trans, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats, nor their aggregate adjustment or the P:S ratio. DLL effects persisted even adjusting for CRP (HR=1.29, P-trend=1 mg/dL for DLL (extreme quintile HR=1.38, 1.02-1.88), than among individuals with low CRP <1 mg/dl for DLL (HR=1.08, 0.68-1.72), with P-interaction<0.0001. Furthermore, CRP also modified DLI, where effects again diverged among higher CRP (HR=0.98, 0.73-1.31) versus low CRP (HR=0.45, 0.27-0.74), with P-interaction<0.0001. Moreover, adjustment of triglycerides, HbA1c, ICAM-1, LDL or HDL cholesterol also did not materially affect overall results. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that DLL is associated with increased risk of incident CHD, independent of traditional risk factors, conventional dietary fat classifications, and major CHD biomarkers. Effects of DLL and DLI appear to be modified by levels of CRP. DLL appears to be an important novel dietary fat index that captures additional CHD risk information beyond biomarkers and traditional dietary fat categories. Further studies are warranted.

scholarly journals Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in the Spanish EPIC Cohort Study

2009 ◽  
Vol 170 (12) ◽  
pp. 1518-1529 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Buckland ◽  
C. A. Gonzalez ◽  
A. Agudo ◽  
M. Vilardell ◽  
A. Berenguer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coronary Heart Disease ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract MP054: Associations of Monounsaturated Fat From Plant and Animal Sources With Coronary Heart Disease Risk

Circulation ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 135 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Geng Zong ◽  
Yanping Li ◽  
Anne Wanders ◽  
Peter Zock ◽  
Laura Sampson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coronary Heart Disease ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Health Benefit ◽  
Dietary Factors ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Monounsaturated Fat ◽  
Chd Risk ◽  
Highly Correlated

Background: The association between monounsaturated fat (MUFA) intake and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk remains unclear. We aimed to investigate whether MUFA from plant foods (MUFA-P) and animal foods (MUFA-A) show different associations with CHD risk in two large prospective studies of U.S. men and women. Method: We calculated MUFA-P and MUFA-A among 60,931 women in the Nurses’ Health Study (1990-2012), and 28,445 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1990-2010). Diet was assessed by validated food-frequency questionnaire every 4 years. CHD incidence was self-reported and confirmed by review of medical records or death certificates. Result: MUFA-A (median intake: 5.8-6.1% energy) was highly correlated with saturated fat (SFA; spearman correlation [ r ] =0.81-0.83) but not polyunsaturated fat (PUFA, r =0.04 -0.19), whereas MUFA-P intake (median: 5.3-5.4.9% energy) was strongly correlated with PUFA(r=0.61 for both cohorts) but not SFA ( r =0.20-0.21; All P<0.001). In multivariate models adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, and dietary factors, hazard ratios of CHD (HR, 95% confidence interval[95%CI]) from low to high total MUFA quintiles were 1 (reference), 0.92 (0.83, 1.02), 1.03 (0.93, 1.05), 0.89 (0.79,1.00). 0.95(0.873, 1.08; P trend =0.42). For MUFA P these were 1(reference), 0.98 (0.89, 1.07), 0.90 (0.82, 0.99), 0.85 (0.77, 0.93), and 0.86 (0.78, 0.94; P trend <0.001) and for MUFA-A 1(reference), 1.09 (0.99, 1.20), 1.22 (1.11, 1.35), 1.26 (1.13, 1.39), and 1.33 (1.19, 1.48; P trend <0.001). In the energy-density model, CHD risk was lower when MUFA-P iso-calorically replaced 1% energy from total SFA (HR [95%CI]: 0.96[0.92, 1.00]; P=0.03), with no significant changes when MUFA-A replacing SFA (HR [95%CI]: 1.01[0.95, 1.07]; P=0.76). When grouping fat intake as the sum of animal MUFA plus saturated fat and the sum of plant MUFA plus PUFA, the HR (95%CI) of CHD was 0.96 (0.95, 0.98; P<0.001) for replacing 1% energy from the former with the latter. Conclusion: Because MUFA compositions of animal and plant origins are largely similar, our data suggested other components in plant and animal foods may lead to the observed different associations of MUFA-P and MUFA-A with CHD risk. These findings provided a possible explanation on current controversies regarding MUFA intake and CHD risk, and further support health benefit of MUFA intake.

scholarly journals Re: Clin Invest Med. 2006 Jun;29(3):154-8

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
_ CIM
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Coronary Heart Disease ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Secondary Prevention ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Amount Of Information ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Investigative Medicine ◽  
Redundant Publication

Clinical and Investigative Medicine wishes to inform its readers of the following incident of redundant publication. The publication: de Lorgeril M, Salen P  The Mediterranean diet in secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. Clin Invest Med. 2006 Jun;29(3):154-8 contains a substantial amount of information and text reported in the previously published article, de Lorgeril M, Salen P. The Mediterranean-style diet for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Public Health Nutr. 2006 Feb;9(1A):118-23.

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