The Mediterranean Diet and heart attack survival

We know that the Mediterranean Diet can help prevent cardiovascular disease, but what if you have an acute coronary event anyway? Dr. Panagiotakos and his team of researchers in Greece (Nutrition 2006(7-8);22:722-730) selected six major hospitals in Greece, and for a term of one year enrolled in their study almost all the patients in those hospitals who were diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (meaning either a heart attack or unstable angina).

Once the patients had been treated and were stable, they were interviewed regarding their lifestyle habits (smoking, exercise, etc.) and demographic information. Their diet was assessed using a very detailed food frequency questionnaire that helped the researchers assess just how closely the patient’s diet matched the Mediterranean Diet. The researchers assigned points to the various components of the diet, with a maximum score of 55 being most closely matching the Mediterranean Diet. Patients were considered to have "high adherence" with a score of 36 or above, and "low adherence" with a score below 30.

The patients were then monitored through the first thirty days after their hospitalization, and their outcomes and final diagnosis were correlated with their Mediterranean Diet score.

The results are pretty astounding. A Mediterranean Diet score just 5 units higher than another patient's meant: 1) a 15% lower risk of having a heart attack (remember that not all patients had been hospitalized for a heart attack); 2) a 23% lower risk of dying during hospitalization; and 3) a 19% lower likelihood of having another cardiac event during the first 30 days after hospitalization for an initial cardiac event. Finally, those whose diet matched the Mediterranean Diet more closely tended to be those who were hospitalized for unstable angina, as opposed to those who were hospitalized for heart attack.

What this means for you

You don't have to follow the Mediterranean Diet perfectly to see its advantages for your heart. Look at my recent article on the components of the Mediterranean Diet to see where you might make one or two improvements in your adherence to the Diet.

First posted: July 11, 2006