Mediterranean diet and metabolic syndrome: a cross-sectional study in the Canary Islands

Abstract

Objective: Assessment of relation between metabolic syndrome (MS) and Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence. Design: Cross-sectional study. ATP III definition of MS was used. Adherence to MD was assessed with a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Intakes of cereal, fruit, legumes, vegetables, fish, nuts, monounsaturated to saturated ratio, alcohol from red wine, whole-fat dairy products and red meat were considered. Setting: Representative sample of population from the Canary Islands (Spain) participating in the Canarian Nutrition Survey (ENCA). Subjects: 578 adults . 18 years. Results: Of the subjects, 24.4% presented MS. Once adjusted, MD adherence was not related to MS prevalence, but subjects in the third tertile of adherence presented 70% lower prevalence of the blood pressure criteria and 2.5 times more prevalence of the glycaemia criteria with respect to the first tertile. Red meat intake was associated with higher prevalence of blood pressure criteria. Moderate alcohol intake from red wine was associated with lower prevalence of these criteria in women and lower prevalence of HDL cholesterol criteria in men. Fruit intake showed a protective effect on triglyceride criteria, whereas vegetable intake was associated with higher prevalence of this criterion. Cereals' intake showed a protective effect over insulin resistance measured by high insulinaemia level. Fruit intake showed a significative protective effect over high Homeostasis Model Assessment index. Whole-fat dairy products showed a significant protective effect on the glycaemia criteria. High monounsaturated to saturated fatty acid intake showed a protective effect on insulin resistance. Conclusions: Some components of the MD showed a protective effect on the MS and its components.

Nut consumption for vascular health and cognitive function

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Cardio Metabolic Syndrome: A Global Epidemic

“…The Framingham Offspring Study has shown a 38% reduction in prevalence of CMS among the highest consumers of cereal fiber compared those with lowest consumers [114]. In the SUN prospective cohort conducted on 5,360 participants and followed up for a median of 74 months, adherence to the MFP was associated with lowest incidence of CMS as compared to those with the least adherence who had higher incidence of CMS.…”

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“…A study in Finland reported that the metabolic syndrome (defined using criteria similar to those of the WHO) was more common in men than in women among subjects with normal glucose tolerance (15 vs. 10 per cent) and impaired fasting glucose/glucose tolerance (64 vs. 42 per cent), but not in patients with type 2 diabetes (84 vs. 78 per cent) (Isomaa et al, 2001). In the Canary Islands hypertriglyceridaemia, hypertension and hyperglycaemia predominated in men, whereas in women abdominal obesity and low HDL-cholesterol were more common (Alvarez Leon, Ribas and Serra, 2003).…”