Diet influences the accumulation of fat in the arteries. This has been demonstrated by a recent study confirming that low adherence to the Mediterranean Diet is linked to a greater presence of fatty plaques in the arteries, specifically atherosclerosis. The study, conducted with the population from the ILERVAS project, known as ‘the Health Bus,’ which included 8,116 individuals, was recently published in the Atherosclerosis journal.
The research, jointly led by investigators from the IIB Sant Pau and IRBLleida, involved the participation of research personnel from Primary Care in Lleida, the Jordi Gol Research Institute for Primary Care (IDIAP Jordi Gol), the Biomedical Research Centre for Respiratory and Metabolic Diseases, the Washington University School of Medicine in the United States, and other research groups from IRBLleida, the University Hospital of Lleida, and the University of Lleida, among others.
“Current research on the association between dietary patterns and subclinical atherosclerotic disease (fatty plaques in the arteries) remains limited, and published results are inconsistent and based on a small population,” explained Minerva Granado, a researcher from the University of Lleida, the Institute of Biomedical Research of Lleida (IRBLleida), and the Biomedical Research Network on Diabetes and Metabolic Associated Diseases (CIBERDEM).
For this reason, this research was initiated to assess the dietary habits of the population in Lleida and their consequences. “Participants with atherosclerotic disease are older and have a higher frequency of smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and waist circumference,” confirmed Granado, who added that the study showed that individuals with better dietary habits related to the Mediterranean diet had a lower number of fatty plaques in their arteries compared to those with low adherence to the diet.
Another confirmation from the study is that women had a lower frequency and number of atherosclerotic plaques. The research was conducted using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) questionnaire and non-invasive ultrasounds to assess the arteries.
“It is important to note that the population we studied has a low to moderate risk of cardiovascular disease, so the results cannot be fully extrapolated to the general population, let alone to populations with other pathologies,” stated Marina Idalia Rojo López, a researcher in the Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition Group at the Institute of Research at the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau – IIB Sant Pau.
This expert added that “nonetheless, these findings support the use of strategies aimed at reducing atherosclerotic disease through the promotion of the Mediterranean diet and emphasize the need for nutritionists at all levels of healthcare.”
Rojo-López MI, Bermúdez-López M, Castro E, Farràs C, Torres G, Pamplona R, Lecube A, Valdivielso JoséManuel, Fernández E, Julve J, Castelblanco E, Franch-Nadal J, Alonso Nú, Granado-Casas M, Mauricio Dí, on behalf of the ILERVAS project collaborators, Miquel E, Ortega M, Barbé F, González J, Barril S, Sánchez-de-la-Torre M, Portero-Otín M, Jové M, Hernández M, Rius F, Godoy P, Alonso MM-, Low adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with increased prevalence and number of atherosclerotic plaques in the ILERVAS cohort, Atherosclerosis (2023), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2023.117191.
