Researchers have found a strong association between high adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (Med Diet) and less risk or the likelihood of risk from heart failure (HF), especially among females. HF is one of the most commonly suffered cardiovascular diseases with its incidence being influenced by age, genetics, and lifestyle. A recent study was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition by Veronese and colleagues..
The aim of this study was to carry out a comprehensive review and meta-analysis of observational studies in order to assess whether the Mediterranean Diet affects HF risk, and whether the association could be sex-dependent. Database search till 1 May 2023 on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library was performed. The review was reported in accordance with updated guidance published in 2020 from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses group. Observational prospective studies where the association between adherence to the Med Diet and risk of HF had been previously assessed were included.
• Of the 1,206 studies screened, six observational prospective studies were included in the final analysis, with a total of 216,385 participants.
• A 1-unit increase in the Mediterranean Diet score was associated with a significantly reduced risk of HF over an average follow-up of 11 years (RR = 0.940; 95% CI: 0.912–0.969; p < 0.0001). Heterogeneity between studies seemed moderate (I² = 42.9%).
• Significant associations were found with higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the low incidence of HF in women (RR = 0.942; 95% CI: 0.912–0.973; p = 0.001; I² = 41.8%). There was no indication of association among men, and this may reflect a difference in how diet influences the risk of HF by sex.
• The quality of the included studies was rated as good overall, thereby providing general integrity to the findings and supporting the relationship between the Med diet and lower HF risk.
From this systematic review and meta-analysis, higher adherence to the Mediterranean Diet was associated with reduced risk of HF, particularly in females. These results allow for verification of the Mediterranean Diet as an effective preventive strategy against HF, thus further substantiating its position in being a healthy diet pattern for the heart.
Reference:
Veronese, N., Ragusa, F. S., Maggi, S., Witard, O. C., Smith, L., Dominguez, L. J., Barbagallo, M., Isanejad, M., & Prokopidis, K. (2024). Effect of the Mediterranean diet on incidence of heart failure in European countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-024-01519-4