Mediterranean Diet and Lower Risk for Cardiovascular Morbidity - Research Paper Example

Is the Mediterranean Diet Linked to Lower Risk for Cardiovascular Morbidity/Mortality? of Introduction Poor diets have been cited by many professional health care workers and well as academic authors as a major factor in risks, morbidity and mortality associated with certain conditions. Such a diet often lacks fruits and vegetables among others vital nutrients and vitamins (Mendez et al., 2006). As a matter of fact, the World Health organisation (WHO) concurs with these findings and reports that a diet deficient in vegetables and fruits ranks third among the key causes or factors associated with chronic conditions such as ischemia, cancers, cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases. In fact, due to these effects of poor diet or unhealthy eating habits, these lifestyle diseases have become more serious threats to health than infectious diseases, which used to be the real cause of worry in the past. In a report issued in 2002, the WHO organisation listed four Mediterranean countries among the top twenty countries with the highest life expectancy (Mendez et al., 2006). Given that lifestyle conditions such as cardiovascular diseases are the major killers in modern times, this finding by the WHO could imply that lifestyles diseases are comparatively less prevalent in the Mediterranean compared to other regions. Among the top twenty countries were the Mediterranean states of Italy, Spain, France, and Greece. Generally, the studies that recommend first line dietary interventions for cardiovascular disease suggest diets that are characterized by reduced saturated fat and cholesterol, increased fruits, vegetables, and whole grain products consumption (Martinez-Gonzalez et al., 2004). These components help in the significant lowering of blood cholesterol levels among other key risk factors for CVD (Martinez-Gonzalez et al., 2004). That the Mediterranean region boasts of one of the healthiest diets across the globe has made the region report some of the lowest risks, rates and mortality of certain chronic conditions compared to other regions whose diets may be described as less healthy. Consequently, dieticians and other health care workers have been attracted by the prospects of unearthing the truth about the assertion that the Mediterranean diet could be linked to the low morbidity and mortality of lifestyles diseases such as hypertension (Martinez-Gonzalez et al., 2004). As a result, quite many studies have been conducted to confirm or refute this assertion. This paper explores the research studies, relevant theories and ideas that support or refute the statement that ‘the Mediterranean diet is responsible for lower cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A quick review of the available literatures on the subject showed that the Mediterranean diet has several benefits of reducing the risks associated with cardiovascular disease (Martinez-Gonzalez et al., 2004). In other terms, the diet is portrayed as having rather positive influences on the region’s inhabitants’ quality of life. Nonetheless, some studies have associated the Mediterranean diet with negative effects on the risks and mortality associated with specific types of cancer. The research revealed that the diet of the Mediterranean region plays a rather critical role in lowering the risks of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the region. To achieve the objective of this research, the following research question was designed. Research Question Is the Mediterranean diet linked to lower risk for cardiovascular morbidity/mortality? Supportive Studies Quite many studies attest to the assertion that the diet of the Mediterranean region is rather integral to the efforts of lowering the risks of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the region. In 1986, Ancel Keys noted significant differences in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease attributed to dietary differences. In these findings, Keys noted that the unhealthy food patterns in other areas compared to the eating patterns in the Mediterranean could be a good explanation for these differences in the prevalence of cardiovascular, some forms of cancer and other diet-related diseases. The other instance in which the role of a healthy diet in lowering the risks of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality was brought out was during the International Conference on the Diets of the Mediterranean in which, the key components of the region’s diet was praised (Michaelsen et al., 2006). The diet was observed to be mainly composed of cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts. It was also noted that these foods are not only fresh from the gardens but also locally grown and allowed to undergo only minimal processing. The other components of the Mediterranean diet believed to contribute to a reduced risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are honey, concentrated sugars, olive oil and dairy products, which are consumed in minimal amounts (Michaelsen et al., 2006). Other food products consumed in small amounts in the Mediterranean region are eggs and red meat. From these main components and eating habits, it is evident that an intake of healthy nutrients that lower the risks of cardiovascular disease is assured, translating into higher longevity and late onset of health deterioration. Besides acting directly on the risks factors of cardiovascular disease, the Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce the severity of the condition and its impacts. For instance, studies have linked the Mediterranean diet with the positive effects of reduced cholesterol levels in blood, reduced cases of diabetes, improved coagulation and endothelial function, lowered inflammation and blood pressure (Martinez-Gonzalez et al., 2004). In a study conducted in Cyprus in 2004, it was revealed that people aged between 65 and 100 years who strictly followed the Mediterranean diet had lower cholesterol levels in their blood (Michaelsen et al., 2006). This category of people also reported reduced risks of suffering from severe coronary syndrome. In other study done by the PREDIMED, it was established that elderly people who stick to the Mediterranean diet show better lipid profile and lowered inflammatory molecule concentrations. Although past and current studies support the effectiveness of the Mediterranean diet on cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality, it is lamentable that people find it difficult to strictly adhere to these diets. In fact, there has been a rapid decline in the adherence patterns in recent times (Bach et al., 2006). Stakeholders are thus called upon to ensure the recommendations for the implementation of the therapeutic clinical interventions proposed in studies that support the positive effects of the Mediterranean diet on the risks of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Otherwise, the resources, efforts and time put into these studies would be wasted. Different Ideas Although most studies support the effectiveness of the Mediterranean diet in reducing the risks of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, some contentions issues have always come up. For instance, in a study conducted by Penny Kris-Etherton, Robert H. Eckel, Barbara V. Howard, Sachiko St. Jeor and Terry L. Bazzarre on behalf of the Nutrition Committee Population Science Committee and Clinical Science Committee of the American Heart Association, it was argued that it is rather challenging to define a Mediterranean diet. The argument was that the region known as Mediterranean is made up of not less than sixteen countries. In addition, several Mediterranean diets have been developed for cardiovascular disease intervention. These diets are Step I and Step II diets. The Step I diet places a lot of emphasis on increased bread, root vegetables, green vegetables, fruits, fish consumption and reduced beef, lamb and pork consumption (de Lorgeril et al., 2014). However, this study showed that CVD risk factors are not limited to lipids and proteins, as may be suggested by this and other studies, which have primarily targeted lipids and lipoproteins. In this study, conducted on 49 subjects, a drop in the recurrence of coronary in spite of a comparable lipid/lipoprotein ratio pointed to the role of other risk factor modification in influencing the risks of CVD morbidity and mortality (de Lorgeril et al., 2014). In other words, the other core risk factors ought to be identified for effective interventions. In other words, although the study employed an intervention based on the Mediterranean diets on one group of the subjects, the beneficial effects of the diet were not remarkably different from those not placed under the diet (de Lorgeril et al., 2014). However, the researchers concurred that the Mediterranean-style Step I diet could be adhered to by free-living people but only needs a more thorough evaluation on its long-term prevention model. Evidently, most, if not all literatures concur that diet, and the Mediterranean diet for that matter actually lowers the risks of CVD mortality and morbidity (de Lorgeril et al., 2014). Even the few studies, theories or ideas that attempt to refute this assertion cannot do so per so. Hence the stance that the Mediterranean diet positively affects CVD morbidity and mortality is based on firmly grounded research findings and conclusions. Conclusion From the studies, ideas and literatures that support the assertion that CVD morbidity and mortality risks are lowered by the Mediterranean diet, it is apparent that stakeholders in the health care discipline work together to exploit the chances presented by the dietary interventions to lower these risks. In this context, it is highly suggested that more diet-based CVD intervention programs and research should be funded and conducted. In other terms, the health benefits of accruing from dietary interventions on CVD should be optimized via more funding, research and widespread application of the already established findings. References Bach, A., Serra-Majem, L., and Carrasco, J. L. (2006). “The Use of Indexes Evaluating the Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Epidemiological Studies: A Review.” Public Health Nutrition, 9:133. De Lorgeril, M., Salen, P., and Martin, J. L. (2014). Mediterranean diet, traditional risk factors, and the rate of cardiovascular complications after myocardial infarction: final report of the Lyon diet heart study. Circulation. Keys, A., Menotti, A., and Karoven, M. I. (1986). “The Diet and the 15-Year Death Rate in the Seven Countries Study.” American Journal of Epidemiology, 24: 903. Kris-Etherton, P., Eckel, R. H., Howard, B.V., St. Jeor, S., Bazzarre, T. L., (2014). Lyon diet heart study: benefits of a Mediterranean-style, national cholesterol education program/American heart association step I dietary pattern on cardiovascular Disease.” The Nutrition Committee Population Science Committee and Clinical Science Committee of the American Heart Association. Martinez-Gonzalez, M.A., and Sanchez-Villegas, A. (2004). “The Emerging Role of Mediterranean Diets in Cardiovascular Epidemiology: Monounsaturated Fats, Olive Oil, Red Wine or the Whole Pattern?” European Journal of Epidemiology, 19: 13. Mendez, M. A., Popkin, B. M., and Jakszyn, P. (2006). “Adherence to A Mediterranean Diet Is Associated With Reduced 3-Year Incidence of Obesity.” Journal of Nutrition, 136: 2934. Michaelsen, A., Lehmann, N., and Pithan, C. (2006). “Mediterranean Diet Has No Effect On Markers of Inflammation and Metabolic Risk Factors In Patients with Coronary Artery Disease.” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 60: 478. Read More