ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ADHERENCE TO THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET AND 24-HOUR PULSE WAVE VELOCITY IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS

Abstract

Objective: A Mediterranean diet (MeDi) is characterized by high consumption of plant-based food and fish, moderate consumption of red wine, and low intake of red and processed meat, and is associated with improvement in cardiometabolic risk factors. Arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV) is considered a predictor of cardiovascular events, but the association between dietary intake according to MeDi and arterial stiffness is not yet clear. The aim of this study was to determine possible associations between MeDi adherence and PWV in patients with arterial hypertension (AH). Design and method: This study included 420 participants with AH of which 50.2% were women, with an overall median age of 63.5 years (IQR = 17.3). To assess 24-hour PWV parameter, a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitor IEM Mobil-O-Graph based on the oscillometry was used. In order to determine adherence to the MeDi, a validated Mediterranean Diet Serving Score (MDSS) questionnaire was used. For every participant, data about comorbidities was collected from their medical records combined with their self reports. Results: Adherence to the MeDi defined as MDSS score >14 was found in 6.4% of participants. The mean value of 24-hour PWV was 9.08±1.88 m/s. Significant differences in PWV value were not found among high adherence, medium adherence and low adherence to MeDi. Positive predictors of 24-hour PWV were older age (beta = 0.128, p<0.001), presence of chronic kidney disease (beta = 0.312, p<0.001) and adherence to the legumes intake recommendation (beta = 0.169, p = 0.037), while the negative predictor was adherence to the dairy intake recommendation (beta = -0.174, p = 0.024). Conclusions: Exceptionally low adherence to the principles of the MeDi was noticed in hypertensive patients, with dairy and legumes suggested as predictors of 24-hour PWV. This suggests a need for structural nutritional intervention to increase adherence to the MeDi in order to decrease and reduce cardiovascular risk in this population of patients.