Our objective was to develop a short questionnaire that can be easily used to estimate quantitatively the level of adherence to cardioprotective Mediterranean diets. The short questionnaire assessed the consumption of cardioprotective elements included in the Mediterranean diet (olive oil, wine, fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes and whole-grain intake). A low consumption of meat or meat-products was also included in the composite score. The relative risk of myocardial infarction for each category of the composite score obtained (range 0-9) was computed using data from a case-control study that included 171 cases of first myocardial infarction and 171 matched controls. We found an adjusted odds ratio ¼ 0.18 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.03-0.97; P ¼ 0.04) for those scoring 7-9 points when comparing them with those scoring 1-2 points. An increment of one point in the score was associated with an 18% reduction in the relative risk of myocardial infarction (P ¼ 0.05).

Our data support the hypothesis that a Mediterranean diet (that emphasizes olive oil, fiber, fruits, vegetables, fish and alcohol and reduces meat/meat products) can be an effective measure for reducing the risk of myocardial infarction. However, our results support the exclusion of refined cereals with a high glycaemic load as healthy elements of this pattern.

The objective of this study was to assess cardiovascular response during cardiac stress testing in neurologically asymptomatic individuals who developed motor features of Parkinson's disease several years after the cardiac stress testing. This was a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent cardiac stress testing between January 2001 and December 2010. Patients were followed until May 2012 to select those who developed Parkinson's disease. Heart rate and blood pressure both at rest and at peak exercise and heart rate variability at rest were recorded. For each patient who developed Parkinson's disease, 2 matched controls who did not develop Parkinson's disease at the end of the follow-up period were selected. Patients who were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease the same day of cardiac stress testing also were selected for comparison purposes. After excluding participants who were lost to follow-up, 2739 patients remained. From this cohort, 18 (11 men) had developed Parkinson's disease 4.27 ± 2.56 years after the cardiac stress test. Thirty-six matched controls were selected. At peak exercise, the maximum heart rate and the percentage of theoretical maximum heart rate were significantly lower in patients who developed Parkinson's disease after cardiac stress testing compared with controls. The sensitivity of a maximum heart rate ≤ 143 beats per minute to predict a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease after a mean of 4.27 years was 83%, and the specificity was 62%. The results from this exploratory study demonstrate that chronotropic insufficiency may constitute an early sign of Parkinson's disease during the premotor phase, serving as potential risk factor for its diagnosis. Further investigations are needed in larger populations. © 2013 Movement Disorder Society.

Our data suggest that olive oil may reduce the risk of coronary disease. These findings require confirmation in further observational studies and trials.

Objective: To assess the association between a first acute myocardial infarction and the consumption of fibre and fruit. Design: Hospital-based case -control study with incident cases. A validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (136 items) was used to assess food intake. Setting: Three third-level university hospitals in Pamplona (Spain). Subjects: Cases were subjects aged under 80, newly diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction. Each case patient (n ¼ 171) was matched to a control subject of the same gender and age (5 y bands) admitted to the same hospital. Results: An inverse association was apparent for the three upper quintiles of fibre intake. After adjustment for non-dietary and dietary confounders, an inverse linear trend was clearly significant, showing the highest relative reduction of risk (86%) for the fifth quintile (OR ¼ 0.14, 95% confidence interval: 0.03 -0.67). An inverse association was also apparent for fruit intake, but not for vegetables or legumes. Conclusions: Our data suggest that a substantial part of the postulated benefits of the Mediterranean diet on coronary risk might be attributed to a high intake of fibre and fruit.

Our results in a Mediterranean population with natural plant foods as the main source of folate provide further evidence to support the hypothesis that dietary folate intake may be an independent protective factor for myocardial infarction. The magnitude of the effect, its biological plausibility, and the consistency across studies offer support for a causal association.

SummaryBackground: Although international comparisons have consistently found an inverse association between wine and coronary heart disease, few epidemiologic studies are available in Southern Europe. We assessed the association of wine, red wine, and the pattern of drinking wine during meals with the risk of myocardial infarction.Hypothesis: We specifically evaluated three hypotheses: (1) Is the protection against incidence of nonfatal myocardial infarction stronger for wine than for other alcoholic beverages? (2) Does the wine consumed during meals represent a more beneficial pattern of alcohol consumption? (3) Is red wine more advantageous than other types of wine?Methods: A case-control study (171 cases, 171 matched controls) was conducted in Spain. Multiple dietary and nondietary potential confounders were assessed.Results: Exposure to wine, red wine, and wine during meals was associated with risk reductions similar to those of other alcoholic beverages (point estimates of the odds ratio for low and high intake were 0.48 and 0.38 for wine; 0.42 and 0.55 for other beverages). However, after controlling for total alcohol intake, wine consumption (g/day) improved the prediction of a myocardial infarction.Conclusions: Our data showed that red wine or drinking wine during meals was similar to alcohol from other sources

Our data suggest that olive oil may reduce the risk of coronary disease. These findings require confirmation in further observational studies and trials.