With more than 200 deaths per daycardiovascular diseases represent the leading cause of death among French women. In this category, we include all pathologies that affect the heart and blood vessels such as :
- atherosclerosis
- THE heart rhythm disorders
- high blood pressure
- myocardial infarction
- heart failure
- cerebrovascular accidents (CVA)
If the gender is a risk factor, there are others like physical inactivity, smoking or poor diet. Thus, a recent American study looked at the impact of a particular diet on cardiovascular diseases: the Mediterranean diet. Renowned for its health benefits, the latter could also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and related deaths. The results of this study have been published in the online journal Heart.
Heart: 23% lower risk of death with the Mediterranean diet in women
For this research, the scientists analyzed 190 studies focusing on the impact of the Mediterranean diet on women’s cardiovascular health. The selected studies were conducted primarily in the United States and Europe. They involve altogether more than 700,000 women aged 18 and overwhose cardiovascular health was monitored for an average of 12.5 years.
The results showed that following a Mediterranean diet was associated with 24% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease and to 23% lower risk of death in women. The risk of coronary disease was 25% lower in people following the Mediterranean diet. That of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) was also lowerwithout the researchers noting significant statistics.
Heart: why does the Mediterranean diet affect men and women differently?
While the authors are pleased with these results, they recognize the limits of their research. Among them, the fact that the studies analyzed were all observational and relied on questionnaires completed by participants.
Thus, scientists believe that further studies are needed to confirm this finding, but also to better understand why this diet influences the two genders differently.“However, the mechanisms explaining the sex-specific effect of the Mediterranean diet on [les maladies cardiovasculaires] and death remain unclear,” they explain.
Until then, they recommend taking an interest in food to reduce the risk of heart disease. “It is possible that preventative measures, such as a Mediterranean diet that targets inflammation and cardiovascular disease risk factors, impose different effects in women compared to men“, conclude the researchers. But if the Mediterranean diet has many benefits, what is it? Medisite takes stock of recommended foods and those to avoid as part of this diet.