Among a variety of diets a low-calorie ‘green’ Mediterranean diet caused the biggest reduction in aortic stiffness among overweight or dyslipidaemic individuals in a post hoc analysis of a randomised trial. The findings were discussed in Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
As its name suggests, the green Mediterranean diet is rich in plant polyphenols and lower in red or processed meat and simple carbohydrates than a typical low-calorie Mediterranean diet.
Controlling for other variables, the green Mediterranean diet reduced proximal aortic stenosis (PAS) by 15%, better than a typical hypocaloric Mediterranean diet (7.3% reduction) or following standard healthy diet guidelines (4.8% reduction).
The study used the unique environment of a remote Israeli nuclear research facility, where the makeup of the staff meals could be closely controlled and monitored. This also created the limitation of having a predominantly male population for the study group.
More than simple weight loss, the green Mediterranean diet may have greater influence on PAS, which as a measure of “the aortic stiffness from the ascending to the proximal descending thoracic aorta, is a distinct marker of vascular aging and a sensitive early predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality risk,” the researchers noted. “Beyond aging, and similarly to atherosclerosis, PAS is sensitive to obesity-related metabolic conditions, specifically metabolic syndrome.”
Source: MedPage Today
