Impact of a Mediterranean Diet on Outcomes of Coronary Heart Disease

Abstract

Background: Coronary heart disease is a condition that occurs when the coronary arteries are narrowed by the accumulation of plaque and fatty deposits thereby decreasing the blood flow to the heart. A Mediterranean diet is one that consists of eating plant-based foods, limiting the intake of red meats, and using a healthy source of fat, olive oil, rather than other unhealthy fats. Research Question: What is the effect of a Mediterranean diet on health outcomes in adults with coronary heart disease compared to adults not following a Mediterranean diet? Methods: The PubMed database was searched systematically using the keywords ‘coronary heart disease’ (or synonyms) and ‘Mediterranean diet.’ Included articles were high-quality, peer reviewed, published after 2004, discussed the impact of the Mediterranean diet on health outcomes of people with coronary heart disease, and measured adherence to the Mediterranean diet using an index score. These included articles measured outcomes in terms of changes in mortality rates and/or risk of developing coronary heart disease. Results: All 9 articles reviewed found beneficial outcomes of a Mediterranean diet. Of these, 3 showed a reduction in mortality rates and 6 showed a reduction in risk of coronary heart disease. Conclusion: A Mediterranean diet is beneficial in adults with coronary heart disease.