Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and risk of metabolic syndrome and its components

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The role of diet in the aetiology of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is not well understood. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) and MetS.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 808 high cardiovascular risk participants of the Reus PREDIMED Centre. MetS was defined by the updated National Cholesterol and Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. An inverse association between quartiles of adherence to the MedDiet (14-point score) and the prevalence of MetS (P for trend<0.001) was observed. After adjusting for age, sex, total energy intake, smoking status and physical activity, participants with the highest score of adherence to the MedDiet (>/=9 points) had the lowest odds ratio of having MetS (OR [95% CI] of 0.44 [0.27-0.70]) compared to those in the lowest quartile. Participants with the highest MedDiet adherence had 47 and 54% lower odds of having low HDL-c and hypertriglyceridemia MetS criteria, respectively, than those in the lowest quartile. Some components of the MedDiet, such as olive oil, legumes and red wine were associated with lower prevalence of MetS.

CONCLUSION

Higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with a significantly lower odds ratio of having MetS in a population with a high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Conjugated linoleic acid intake in humans: a systematic review focusing on its effect on body composition, glucose, and lipid metabolism

Studies performed on different species show that the consumption of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) leads to a loss of fat and total body weight, reduces the plasma concentrations of total and LDL cholesterol, and has an antiinflammatory effect. This article reviews the clinical trials on human beings that evaluate how mixtures of CLA isomers administered as supplements or CLA-enriched products can affect total body weight, body composition, plasma lipid profile, glycemia, insulinemia, insulin sensitivity, lipid oxidation, and inflammation. After analyzing the few studies published to date in reduced samples of healthy humans or patients with overweight, obesity, metabolic syndrome, or diabetes, we deduce that there is not enough evidence to show that conjugated linoleic acid has an effect on weight and body composition in humans. However, some of these studies have observed that the administration of various CLA isomers has adverse effects on lipid profile (it decreases HDL cholesterol concentration and increases Lp(a) circulating levels), glucose metabolism (glycemia, insulinemia or insulin sensitivity), lipid oxidation, inflammation, or endothelial function. Therefore, long-term randomized clinical trials, controlled with placebo, need to be made in large samples of patients to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CLA isomers before its indiscriminate use in human beings can be recommended.

Dynamics of the components of energy intake between Spanish and Mexican preschool children: energy density and food volume in two contexts

OBJECTIVE

To determine the differences in the dynamics of dietary energy density (ED), food volume (FV) and energy intake (EI) between two groups of healthy children, in normal conditions, from Spain and Mexico.

METHODS

Crossectional study which analyses the habitual diet of two healthy children groups, 1-4 years old, from Reus (Spain, n = 203) and Guadalajara (Mexico, n = 147). Dietary intake was assessed using the 24-hour recall. Anthropometric data were also obtained. We estimated Z-score of weight, height and BMI, and EI (kcal/day), ED (kcal/g), FV (g/day), El/kg body weight (kcal/kg/day) and FV/kg body weight (g/kg/day).

RESULTS

The Spanish children consumed significantly more cereals (p < 0.05), vegetables, meat, fish and eggs than the Mexican children (p < 0.001), while the latter consumed significantly more sweets (p < 0.001). The mean El/kg body weight was 107.7 ± 36.2 kcal/kg/day in the children from Reus, and 102.4 ± 38.8 kcal/kg/day in the children from Guadalajara, without significant differences. While the ED was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in the Spanish sample (1.41 ± 0.35 kcal/g) that in the Mexican one (1.19 ± 0.37 kcal/g), we observed the contrary on FV per kilogram of weight: it was significantly (p < 0.001) greater in Mexicans (91.0 ± 36.1 g/kg/day) than in Spanish (79.5 ± 27.5 g/kg/day).

CONCLUSION

In two populations with different contexts, the balance between energy intake and energy requirements is achieved in different ways, allowing energy intake per unit of weight and growth to be adequate. Future studies are needed to clarify the factors of a possible alteration of this equilibrium through time, in such a way, that it would probably contribute to the development of overweight and obesity in several environments.