A diet rich in so-called Mediterranean foods is linked to a significant reduction in cardiovascular events – even if it is mixed with other "unhealthy" foods, researchers reported today.
The study, reported in the European Heart Journal, sought to compare the Mediterranean diet with a Western diet rich in processed foods, sugar and deep-fried food.
It involved some 15,000 people from 39 countries who took part in trials of the drug darapladib as a treatment for cardiovascular disease. The average age was 67. They were followed for a period of 3.7 years.
But the researchers failed to find any negative effects from consuming a Western diet.
Some 7.3% of the 2,885 people with the healthiest diets suffered major cardiovascular events compared with a little over 10% of all over participants.
The researchers said this meant that for every 100 people eating the highest proportion of Mediterranean foods there were three fewer major cardiovascular events than among those eating a different mix of foods.
The Mediterranean diet is usual defined to include pulses, whole grains, fish, fresh vegetables and fruits and olive oil.
The researchers admit the findings depend on survey answers – and it was not possible to be sure what respondents meant by a serving of food.
Researcher Professor Ralph Stewart, from Auckland City Hospital, University of Auckland, New Zealand, said: “The research suggests we should place more emphasis on encouraging people with heart disease to eat more healthy foods, and perhaps focus less on avoiding unhealthy foods.
“After adjusting for other factors that might affect the results, we found that every one unit increase in the Mediterranean Diet Score was associated with a seven percent reduction in the risk of heart attacks, strokes or death from cardiovascular or other causes in patients with existing heart disease.
"In contrast, greater consumption of foods thought be less healthy and more typical of Western diets, was not associated with an increase in these adverse events, which we had not expected.”
He added: “The main message is that some foods – and particularly fruit and vegetables – seem to lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and this benefit is not explained by traditional risk factors such as good and bad cholesterol or blood pressure. If you eat more of these foods in preference to others, you may lower your risk.
"The study found no evidence of harm from modest consumption of foods such as refined carbohydrates, deep fried foods, sugars and deserts. However, because the assessments were relatively crude, some harm cannot be excluded."
Ralph A.H. Stewart et al. Dietary patterns and the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in a global study of high-risk patients with stable coronary heart disease. European Heart Journal 25 April 2016; doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehw125
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