A long-term study in Greece has revealed that people who consistently followed a Mediterranean-style diet had a significantly lower risk of developing hypertension, or high blood pressure, compared to those who adhered less closely to the diet.
What is Hypertension?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hypertension affects nearly half of all adults in the United States. It is diagnosed when blood pressure reaches 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher. If left untreated, hypertension can lead to serious health problems such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.
Study Overview
The study, conducted by researchers from Harokopio University of Athens, aimed to determine the impact of a Mediterranean diet on blood pressure over a 20-year period. The study, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, started in 2002 and ran through 2022. It involved 4,056 participants from Greece, with 3,042 agreeing to take part.
At the start of the study, the average age of participants was 41, with 44% men and 56% women. Importantly, all participants were required to be free of hypertension and cardiovascular disease at the beginning of the study.
Mediterranean Diet and the MedDietScore
To assess how closely participants followed the Mediterranean diet, the researchers assigned each person a MedDietScore, which measured their consumption of key foods commonly found in Mediterranean diets:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Whole grains
- Potatoes
- Legumes
- Fish
- Olive oil
Higher scores were given for a greater intake of these foods, while participants could lose points for consuming foods not typically found in Mediterranean diets, such as full-fat dairy products, poultry, and red meat.
Tracking Participants Over Time
Over the course of the study, the researchers regularly checked in with the participants to evaluate their MedDietScore, monitor vital signs, and track the development of hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease.
By the end of the study, 1,415 participants were included in the final analysis. The results showed that those who most closely followed the Mediterranean diet had the lowest risk of developing hypertension.
Key Findings
Participants with the lowest MedDietScore, who adhered poorly to the Mediterranean diet, had a hypertension rate of 35.5%.
Those in the middle group, with moderate adherence to the diet, had a hypertension rate of 22.5%.
The group with the highest MedDietScore, indicating the best adherence to the Mediterranean diet, had a hypertension incidence of just 8.7%.
The researchers also compared the risk of developing hypertension between those who consistently adhered to the diet and those who did not. They found that individuals who consistently followed the Mediterranean diet had a 46.5% lower risk of developing hypertension over the 20 years.
Conclusion
The study’s findings emphasize the importance of long-term dietary habits in managing health. The results suggest that adhering to the Mediterranean diet could play a key role in lowering the risk of hypertension, providing further evidence of the diet’s benefits for cardiovascular health.
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