Br J Nutr. 2012 Aug;108(4):699-709.
Mediterranean diet and CHD: the Greek European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort.
Dilis V, Katsoulis M, Lagiou P, Trichopoulos D, Naska A, Trichopoulou A.
Source
Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, WHO Collaborating
Center for Food and Nutrition Policies, University of Athens Medical School,
Athens, Greece.
Abstract
Adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) has been reported to improve CHD
prognosis and to be inversely associated with CHD mortality. The aim of the
present study was to investigate the association of adherence to the MD with CHD
incidence and mortality in the Greek European Prospective Investigation into
Cancer and Nutrition cohort, a population with traditional Mediterranean roots.
In a general population sample of 23,929 adult men and women with no CVD or
cancer at enrolment, a validated FFQ was interviewer-administered,
sociodemographic, physical activity and other characteristics were recorded, and
arterial blood pressure and anthropometric characteristics were measured. In a
median period of 10 years, 636 incident CHD cases and 240 CHD deaths were
recorded. Associations of adherence to the MD, operationalised through a
nine-component score (0, poor; 9, excellent), with CHD incidence and mortality
were evaluated through Cox regression controlling for potentially confounding
variables. A two-point increase in the MD score was associated with lower CHD
mortality by 25 % (95 % CI 0.57, 0.98) among women and 19 % (95 % CI 0.67, 0.99)
among men. The association of adherence to the MD with CHD incidence was again
inverse, but weaker (hazard ratios 0.85 (95 % CI 0.71, 1.02) among women and
0.98 (95 % CI 0.87, 1.10) among men). With respect to score components, only
meat among men (positively) and fruits and nuts among women (inversely) were
associated with both the incidence of and mortality from CHD. The MD, as an
integral entity, is inversely associated with CHD incidence and, particularly,
mortality.
PMID: 22894912 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]