Following the Mediterranean diet instead of a typical “Western” diet can help middle-aged women achieve significant improvements in their cardiovascular health, according to new research published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.[1]
Among men, however, the improvements are much less substantial.
Researchers have been highlighting the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, named after its connection to the eating habits typically found in Greece and Italy, for years now. While the diet primarily focuses on plant-based options such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, seeds and olive oil, it allows room for fish, seafood, poultry and dairy products to be enjoyed in moderation.
Prior coverage of its potential benefits can be read here, here, here, here and here.
For this new analysis, researchers tracked data from the PREVENT study, focusing on the eating habits of more than 500 adults with a mean age of 51 years old. All participants were from the United Kingdom or Ireland. Researchers assigned a “Mediterranean Diet” score and a “Western Diet” score to each participant based on their eating habits; higher Mediterranean Diet scores meant they were closer to following a Mediterranean Diet, and higher Western Diet scores meant they ate more unhealthy foods such as French fries or refined snacks.
Reviewing their data, the group found that women generally had much healthier eating habits than men. Women were linked to higher Mediterranean Diet scores, lower Western Diet scores and consuming fewer calories. They also had lower blood pressure, BMIs and waist-to-hip ratios.
Overall, women who followed a Mediterranean diet more closely were associated with lower blood pressure, BMIs and cardiovascular risk scores. Men who followed a Mediterranean diet more closely did not experience as many benefits, though they were still associated with lower BMIs.
“The higher scores achieved by women may explain the associations seen with cardiovascular disease, with a theoretical threshold for cardiovascular benefit reached by women and not men,” wrote lead author Sarah Gregory, PhD, a researcher with Western general Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland, and colleagues.
The team’s analysis also examined the potential risks and benefits of specific foods. For instance, consuming large amounts of olive oil, nuts and fruit were all associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes. Drinking fewer carbonated or sweet drinks had the same impact. While these findings are straightforward, Gregory et al. did highlight how they stand out compared to previous studies.
“The cardiovascular health benefits of olive oil and nuts are widely reported in the literature base,” the authors added. “However, it is important to note that in this study we only saw an effect for women and not men. Fruit consumption has also been widely associated with cardiovascular health, although the evidence generally also supports vegetable consumption and this anomaly in our dataset is not possible to explain.”
The group did write that additional research is still necessary to learn more about the sex differences between Mediterranean diet adherence and cardiovascular health. Until then, however, they said their data support the diet’s impact, “including in non-Mediterranean settings such as the U.K.”
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.