Authors: Goulet, Julie; Lapointe, Annie; Lemieux, Simone; Lamarche, Benoit

Source: Current Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 2, Number 3, August 2006 , pp. 265-273(9)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Abstract:

In the early 60s, data from the Seven Countries Study demonstrated that diet was a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Several epidemiological studies have since then provided further support to this concept by demonstrating that adherence to a Mediterranean food pattern was associated with a reduction in total and CVD mortality. The mechanisms underlying the cardioprotective effects of the Mediterranean diet (MEDdiet) remain unclear. Our objective was to provide an overview of how a Mediterranean food pattern modulates traditional and non-traditional risk factors for CVD. Data reviewed herein indicated that the MEDdiet may beneficially alter total cholesterol, LDL-C and TG levels, although this has not been a consistent finding. However, the impact of the MEDdiet on non-traditional risk factors such as a lower plasma apolipoprotein B concentrations, a lower high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels, and a better endothelial function appears to be more consistent. In conclusion, adherence to a MEDdiet has been almost unequivocally associated with a decrease in mortality and this may be largely attributable to the more consistent impact of this food pattern on non-traditional risk factors for CVD rather than on traditional risk factors.

Keywords: Mediterranean diet; cardiovascular disease; blood lipid profile; oxidation; inflammation; endothelial dysfunction

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157340106778017850

Affiliations: 1: Institute of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, 2440 Hochelaga Blvd, Laval University, Quebec, Quebec, Canada, G1K 7P4.

Publication date: 2006-08-01

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• Current Nutrition & Food Science publishes frontier reviews on all the latest advances on basic and clinical nutrition and food sciences. The journal's aim is to publish the highest quality review articles dedicated to research in the field. The journal is essential reading for all nutrition and food scientists.

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