title: Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is inversely associated with metabolic syndrome occurrence: a meta-analysis of observational studies.
abstract: Diet plays a role in the onset and progression of metabolic disorders, including metabolic syndrome (MetS). We aimed to systematically review and conduct a quantitative meta-analysis of results from observational cross-sectional and prospective cohort studies on adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern and risk of MetS. Literature databases including PubMed, SCOPUS and EMBASE were searched from the beginning to May 2016. Eight cross-sectional and four prospective studies were included in this meta-analysis, accounting for a total of 33,847 individuals and 6342 cases of MetS. High adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a risk of MetS (RR: 0.81, 95%CI: 0.71, 0.92). Regarding individual components of the MetS, the inverse associations were significant for waist circumference, blood pressure and low HDL-C levels. In conclusion, adoption of a Mediterranean dietary pattern was associated with lower risk of the MetS and it can be proposed for the primary prevention of the MetS.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences , University of Catania , Catania , Italy.
authors.forename: Justyna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Godos
authors.affiliation: b Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "G.F. Ingrassia" , University of Catania , Catania , Italy.
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zappalà
authors.affiliation: c Division of Clinical Biochemisty and Clinical Molecular Biology , University of Rome "Tor Vergata" , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bernardini
authors.affiliation: d Dipartimento Medicina Laboratorio, Tor Vergata University Hospital , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: Ilio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Giambini
authors.affiliation: e Department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health, School of Medicine , University of Navarra-IDISNA , Pamplona , Spain.|f CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Institute of Health Carlos III , Madrid , Spain.
authors.forename: Maira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bes-Rastrollo
authors.affiliation: e Department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health, School of Medicine , University of Navarra-IDISNA , Pamplona , Spain.|f CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Institute of Health Carlos III , Madrid , Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martinez-Gonzalez
mesh_terms: D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D006801:Humans; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D064887:Observational Studies as Topic; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Mediterranean diet; blood pressure; meta-analysis; metabolic syndrome; serum triglycerides; waist circumference