Mediterranean Diet Lowers Cardiovascular Events in People at Risk

By Cara Adler

A Mediterranean diet, compared with a low-fat control diet, lowered the risk for major cardiovascular events by 30% in people at high risk for cardiovascular disease, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study.

Some 7500 people in Spain with risk factors for cardiovascular disease were randomized to a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil (1 liter per week), a Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts (30 g per day), or a low-fat diet. Dietitians counseled all participants about how to follow their diet, and compliance was good in all three groups.

After a median follow up of 4.8 years, each of the two Mediterranean diet groups showed a 30% relative reduction in the rate of the primary outcome — myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular mortality — compared with the control group. Reductions in stroke accounted for most of the benefit.

The authors conclude that their results "support the benefits of the Mediterranean diet for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease."