Study: Mediterranean Diet Lowers Mortality Risk in CVD Patients

Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of death by 37% in patients with a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a new study has found.

The study results were presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2016 on August 28, 2016.
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Many previous studies have examined the effect of a Mediterranean diet on health benefits but have mostly included cohorts from the general population—many of whom were healthy individuals. This study focused on how adhering to the Mediterranean diet affects individuals who already have CVD.

The researchers used data from the MOLI-SANI study, which included 25,000 adults living in the Molise region of Italy. Of those, 1197 adults reported a history of CVD and were included in the study.

The researchers recorded food intake via the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) food frequency questionnaire, measured adherence to the Mediterranean diet via a 9-point Mediterranean diet score (MDS), and assessed all-cause mortality rates via vital records in Molise.

A total of 208 deaths had occurred during a median follow-up of 7.3 years.

After controlling for age, sex, and other variables, the researchers found that a 2-point increase in MDS reduced the risk of mortality by 21%. Individuals who adhered the most to the diet had a 37% reduced risk of mortality compared with those who adhered the least.

In addition, the researchers found that higher consumption of vegetables, fish, fruits, nuts, and monounsaturated fatty acids were the major contributors for mortality risk reduction.

“These results prompt us to investigate the mechanism(s) through which the Mediterranean diet may protect against death,” the researchers concluded.

“This was an observational study so we cannot say that the effect is causal. We expect that dietary effects on mediators common to chronic diseases such as inflammation might result in the reduction of mortality from any cause but further research is needed."

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Bonaccio M,  Di Castelnuovo A, Costanzo S,  et al; MOLI-SANI Study Investigators. Higher adherence to Mediterranean diet is associated with lower risk of overall mortality in subjects with cardiovascular disease: prospective results from the MOLI-SANI study. Poster presented at The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2016; August 28, 2016; Rome, Italy. Abstract P2749