Mediterranean Diet Linked to Lower Heart Failure Risk, Especially in Women, finds study

• Of the 1,206 studies screened, six observational prospective studies were included in the final analysis, with a total of 216,385 participants.

• A 1-unit increase in the Mediterranean Diet score was associated with a significantly reduced risk of HF over an average follow-up of 11 years (RR = 0.940; 95% CI: 0.912–0.969; p < 0.0001). Heterogeneity between studies seemed moderate (I² = 42.9%).

• Significant associations were found with higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the low incidence of HF in women (RR = 0.942; 95% CI: 0.912–0.973; p = 0.001; I² = 41.8%). There was no indication of association among men, and this may reflect a difference in how diet influences the risk of HF by sex.

• The quality of the included studies was rated as good overall, thereby providing general integrity to the findings and supporting the relationship between the Med diet and lower HF risk.

From this systematic review and meta-analysis, higher adherence to the Mediterranean Diet was associated with reduced risk of HF, particularly in females. These results allow for verification of the Mediterranean Diet as an effective preventive strategy against HF, thus further substantiating its position in being a healthy diet pattern for the heart.

Reference:

Veronese, N., Ragusa, F. S., Maggi, S., Witard, O. C., Smith, L., Dominguez, L. J., Barbagallo, M., Isanejad, M., & Prokopidis, K. (2024). Effect of the Mediterranean diet on incidence of heart failure in European countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-024-01519-4