title: Adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet and reduced prevalence of clustered cardiovascular risk factors in a cohort of 3,204 high-risk patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Mediterranean food pattern (MeDiet) has been suggested to have beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors. Scarcity of assessment of this effect on large samples of patients at high risk is, however, observed. Our objective was to estimate the association between adherence to MeDiet and the prevalence of risk factors in 3,204 asymptomatic high-risk patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional assessment of baseline characteristics of participants in a primary prevention trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were assessed by their usual primary-care physicians to ascertain the prevalence of diet-related cardiovascular risk factors (diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, or obesity) using standard diagnostic criteria. A dietitian interviewed each participant to obtain a 14-point score measuring the degree of adherence to MeDiet.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adherence to MeDiet was inversely associated with individual risk factors and, above all, with the clustering of them. The multivariate adjusted odds ratio to present simultaneously the four risk factors for those above the median value of the MeDiet score was 0.67 (95% confidence interval: 0.53-0.85). The multivariate odds ratios for successive categories of adherence to MeDiet were 1 (ref.), 1.03, 0.85, 0.70 and 0.54 (P for trend <0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Following a MeDiet was inversely associated with the clustering of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and hypercholesterolemia among high-risk patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Clínica Universitaria-University of Navarra, Irunlarrea, Pamplona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Taínta
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Estruch
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bulló
authors.forename: Dolores
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Corella
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gómez-Gracia
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fiol
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Algorta
authors.forename: María-Isabel
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Covas
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lapetra
authors.forename: Itziar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zazpe
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Gutiérrez
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ros
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Martínez-González
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000150:complications / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010349:Patient Compliance; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology