Adherence to a predominantly Mediterranean diet decreases the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease: a cross-sectional study in a South Eastern European population

Our aim was to assess the association of a Mediterranean diet and gastroesophageal reflux disease among adult men and women in Albania, a former communist country in South Eastern Europe with a predominantly Muslim population. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2012, which included a population-based sample of 817 individuals (≥18 years) residing in Tirana, the Albanian capital (333 men; overall mean age: 50.2 ± 18.7 years; overall response rate: 82%). Assessment of gastroesophageal reflux disease was based on Montreal definition. Participants were interviewed about their dietary patterns, which in the analysis was dichotomized into: predominantly Mediterranean (frequent consumption of composite/traditional dishes, fresh fruit and vegetables, olive oil, and fish) versus largely non-Mediterranean (frequent consumption of red meat, fried food, sweets, and junk/fast food). Logistic regression was used to assess the association of gastroesophageal reflux disease with the dietary patterns. Irrespective of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and lifestyle factors including eating habits (meal regularity, eating rate, and meal-to-sleep interval), employment of a non-Mediterranean diet was positively related to gastroesophageal reflux disease risk (fully adjusted odds ratio = 2.3, 95% confidence interval = 1.2-4.5). Our findings point to a beneficial effect of a Mediterranean diet in the occurrence of gastroesophageal reflux disease in transitional Albania. Findings from this study should be confirmed and expanded further in prospective studies in Albania and in other Mediterranean countries.

Factors of cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes and incipient nephropathy

BACKGROUND

Microalbuminuria was originally established as a predictor of renal failure and an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes mellitus as well as in general population. The aim of our study is to assess the relationship between microalbuminuria and the other risk factors in diabetics and their prevalence.

METHODS

Sixty five patients, 22 men and 43 women with mean age 58.6+/-10.09, with type 2 diabetes, were hospitalized in the Department of Internal Medicine in the University Hospital Center "Mother Teresa" in Tirana, Albania, between March 2007 and February 2008. These patients with a mean duration of diabetes 6.09+/-5.41 were divided in two groups: with (Group A: 24 patients) and without (Group B: 41 patients) microalbuminuria and each group was evaluated for left ventricular mass index (LVMI), body mass index (BMI), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C), lipid profile and intima media thickness (IMT).

RESULTS

The prevalence of microalbuminuria in our study was 32.3%. The prevalence of microalbuminuria in males was 37.5 and in females 62.5%. The microalbuminuric patients were older ( 59.71+/-9.87 vs 57.07+/-10.32) and had a longer duration of diabetes (7.74+/-5.74 vs 4.45+/-5.08) compared with normoalbuminuric patients (p=0.01). The Group A had significantly higher LVMI compared with Group B ( p=0.02). The prevalence of obesity (BMI>30 kg/m2) in our sample was 44.6%. In Group A the mean BMI (30.13+/-4.98) was significantly higher compared with Group B (28.00+/-3.72, p=0.04). Diabetic retinopathy was more frequent in Group A compared with Group B ( 33.3% vs 14.6%, p=0.05). The mean value of IMT was higher in Group A compared with Group B (1.28+/-0.35 vs 1.09+/-0.28, p=0.03).

CONCLUSION

In patients with type 2 diabetes and microalbuminuria LVMI, IMT, BMI, duration of diabetes was significantly higher compared with patients with type 2 diabetes and normoalbuminuria.