The Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts reduces the risk of myocardial infarction, ictus or cardiovascular death by 30%, according to the conclusions of the PREDIMED study, which were published today in the New England Journal of Medicine after almost ten years of research.

The project, which was carried out by a network of scientists coordinated by the University of Navarra professor, Miguel Ángel Martínez, was begun in 2003 thanks to funding from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), and is currently financed by two ISCIII initiatives,  the  Online Biomedical Research  - Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn) and the PREDIMED network.

"The results contradict the paradigm of the low fat diet that was mistakenly promoted for prevention," highlights Miguel Ángel Martínez. This is the message transmitted today in presentation of the project, which took place in Madrid and at the 6th International Congress on Nutrition in Loma Linda (California), .

The presentation to the international community in the USA was undertaken by Professor Miguel Ángel Martínez. The Madrid presentation was presided over by Carmen Vela, the Secretary of State for Research Development and Innovation at the Ministry of Economy and Competition (Spain). Among other speakers in Madrid were Dr. Ramón Estruch, a coordinator from the Hospital Clinic at the Universidad de Barcelona and leader of  the PREDIMED  groups included in CIBERobn, and Professor Estefanía Toledo at the University of Navarra.

The largest clinical study in Spain: 7,500 participants and 20 million data items
19 scientific groups took part in the PREDIMED research project (www.predimed.es), from Andalucia, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Catalonia, Navarre, the Basque Country and Valencia.  These groups collected over 20 million data items from 200 health centers throughout Spain. The sample includes 7,447 people between 55 and 80 years old (57% women, 43% men) who were asymptomatic but at a high risk of cardiovascular disease.

This is the biggest clinical trial in Spanish research history and one of the principal studies of nutrition in the world. The objective was to evaluate whether the Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts reduces the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases (death of cardiovascular origin, myocardial infarction and/or cerebrovascular incident) in comparison to a low fat diet.

As secondary variables, the study looked at the effects of the Mediterranean diet on overall mortality, cardiac insufficiency, diabetes, cancer, cognitive deterioration, and other neurodegenerative diseases. "Today, more than ever before, in times of budget austerity, it is necessary to reflect on the great advantages of developing healthy lifestyles, such as that of the Mediterranean region, and to use these simple preventive measures to make our health system sustainable," Martínez points out.

In the opinion of the professor from the University of Navarra, "It's about recovering the lifestyle of our parents and grandparents and avoiding new fashions imported from other countries that are not as healthy as ours."

The professor notes that the study, which is officially registered in the Current Controlled Trials Register (London, UK), has enabled the creation of a database that will be a unique resource for nutrition research in Spain for at least the next twenty years.

More information:
www.predimed.es