The Adoption of Mediterranean Diet Attenuates the Development of Acute Coronary Syndromes in People with the Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

Abstract Objectives In this work we investigated the effect of the consumption of the Mediterranean diet on coronary risk, in subjects with the metabolic syndrome. Methods During 2000–2002, we randomly selected, from all Greek regions, 848 hospitalised patients (695 males, 58 ± 10 & 153 females, 65 ± 9 years old) with a first event of acute coronary syndrome and 1078 frequency matched, by sex, age, region controls, without any suspicious for cardiovascular disease. Nutritional habits were evaluated through a validated questionnaire, while the metabolic syndrome was defined according to the NCEP ATP III criteria. Mediterranean diet was defined according to the guidelines of the Division of Nutrition/Epidemiology, of Athens Medical School. Results Of the 1926 participants, 307 (36.2%) of the patients and 198 (18.4%) of the controls (P 0.1). Eighty (26%) of the patients and 70 (35%) of the controls (P Conclusion Consequently, the adoption of Mediterranean diet seems to attenuate the coronary risk in subjects with the metabolic syndrome.

Keywords

• metabolic syndrome
• risk
• coronary
• Mediterranean
• diet
• physical activity