Mediterranean Diet and Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Systematic Review |
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| Authors: | Giuseppe Grosso Antonio Mistretta Alessandro Frigiola Salvatore Gruttadauria Antonio Biondi Francesco Basile |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department “G. F. Ingrassia,” Section of Hygiene and Public Health , University of Catania , Catania , Italy;2. Department of Cardiac Surgery , IRCSS Policlinico, S. Donato Milanese , Milan , Italy;3. Istituto Mediterraneo Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione , University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Italy , Palermo , Italy;4. Section of General Surgery and Oncology, Department of General Surgery , University of Catania , Catania , Italy |
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| Abstract: | The aim of this paper was to systematically review and analyze the epidemiological evidence on the role of Mediterranean diet (MD) in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Fifty-eight studies exploring the relation between MD and lipoprotein concentration, antioxidative capacity and inflammatory markers, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, were identified and selected. These included 33 cross-sectional, 9 cohort, and 16 intervention studies. Most of the studies showed favorable effects of MD on CVD, although a certain degree of controversy remains in the respect of some issues, as obesity. Important methodological differences and limitations in the studies make difficult to compare results, thus further studies, particularly randomized clinical trials, are needed to finally substantiate the benefits of MD and to shed some lights on mechanisms. |
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| Keywords: | Dietary pattern prevention nutrition |
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