Study Debunks Mediterranean Diet Heart Benefits

New research published in the January 2011 issue of International Journal of Clinical Practice debunks popular thinking that individuals who follow a Mediterranean diet are healthier after the findings revealed alarmingly high cardiovascular risk factors similar to those found in the United States and the United Kingdom among those who adhered to the diet.

As reported by AlphaGalieleo, researchers followed a random selection of 2,270 adults attending a healthcare centre in Malaga, Andalucia, a region with one of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease in Spain. Participants ranged from 18 to 80, with an average of just under 44 years; 50.3 percent were female, and 58 percent had low educational levels. More than 60 percent were overweight or obese, and 77 percent did not get enough exercise. According to the researchers, 28 percent smoked, 33 percent had high blood pressure, 7 percent had diabetes, and 65 percent had high cholesterol levels. Just fewer than 30 percent of the patients had three or more cardiovascular risk factors that could be modified by changes to their lifestyle or diet.

“Most of the cardiovascular risk factors increased with age, with the exception of smoking and low levels of ‘good’ cholesterol, and we noted some differences between the sexes," said Dr. Ricardo Gómez-Huelgas from the Internal Medicine Department at Hospital Carlos Haya, Malaga.. “We also found that a low education level was associated with a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and this association was significant when it came to smoking, obesity, abdominal obesity and high levels of fatty molecules."

The researchers noted men had a higher prevalence of smoking, high blood pressure, high levels of fatty molecules and impaired fasting glucose than women; and obesity increased with age. In fact, 84 percent over age 50 were overweight or obese, and 82 percent had abdominal obesity, compared with 61 percent and 56 percent for the study as a whole.

“We found high rates of obesity, abnormal lipid and fat levels and hypertension in the study group. And the high rates of smoking and sedentary lifestyles in young women raises fears for a large increase in cardiovascular deaths in this group in the near future. There are also issues around public health messages for people with lower education levels who tend to have higher risk factors," Gómez-Huelgas said.

Sources:

* AlphaGalileo: Spanish heart risk study challenges image of healthy Mediterranean diet and lifestyle