According to a study, the Mediterranean diet is more effective at preventing the recurrence of cardiovascular events than a low-fat diet. According to a study, the Mediterranean diet is more effective at preventing the recurrence of cardiovascular events than a low-fat diet.
The Mediterranean diet and a low-fat dietary regimen both contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular disease. However, the benefits of the Mediterranean diet would be greater in secondary prevention — that is, in countering the recurrence of a cardiovascular event. This is the finding of a study from the Reina Sofia University Hospital in Córdoba, Spain, published in the journal The Lancet.
The Mediterranean diet also includes monounsaturated fats such as those found in extra-virgin olive oil © iStock
The researchers divided 1,002 patients — the majority men, aged between 20 and 75, with established coronary artery disease — into two groups: one group was asked to follow the Mediterranean diet, the other a diet low in fat.
The Mediterranean diet provided between 35 and 38 per cent fat (22 per cent monounsaturated and 6 per cent polyunsaturated), while the low-fat diet included less than 30 per cent fat (12 per cent monounsaturated and 6–8 per cent polyunsaturated). The primary objective of the study was to assess the occurrence of new cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke within the two dietary groups.
After seven years of monitoring participants through visits and check-ups, 198 people had recorded a cardiovascular event: of these, 87 (17.3 per cent) belonged to the Mediterranean diet group, while 111 (22.2 per cent) belonged to the low-fat diet group.
In conclusion, the Mediterranean dietary pattern showed greater benefits than the low-fat diet in preventing the onset of myocardial infarction, revascularisation, ischaemic stroke, peripheral artery disease and cardiovascular death.
According to the researchers, the results are highly relevant to clinical practice, lending support to this type of diet for preventing the recurrence of cardiovascular disease.