[PLACEHOLDER TOPIC — swap for a real pick] A Mediterranean diet cut major heart events by about 30% in a large trial
Published Jun 21, 2018
Methods
Researchers in Spain randomly assigned 7,447 adults at high risk for cardiovascular disease (but without existing heart disease) to one of three diets: a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts, or a low-fat control diet. Participants were followed for a median of about 4.8 years, and the trial tracked heart attacks, strokes, and deaths from cardiovascular causes.
Findings
People assigned to either Mediterranean diet group had about 30% fewer major cardiovascular events — heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular deaths combined — than people assigned to the low-fat control diet.
Caveats & Context
This is a re-analysis published in 2018 after the original 2013 paper was retracted: some sites did not randomize participants correctly (in a few cases, whole households were assigned together rather than individuals). The corrected analysis still found a benefit, but the irregularity is worth knowing about. Diet trials also cannot be blinded — participants know what they are eating — which leaves room for behavior differences beyond the diet itself. Results come from a high-risk, Mediterranean-region population and may not generalize directly to everyone.
Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts
New England Journal of Medicine · doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1800389