ATHENS, Greece—According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, close adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet achieved by close dietetic supervision improves endothelial function in subjects with abdominal obesity (AO) (2009;90(2):263-68).Researchers recruited 90 subjects with AO without cardiovascular disease (CVD) or type 2 diabetes. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Both groups were instructed to follow a Mediterranean-style diet for two months. Subjects in the intervention group additionally had to follow a specific relevant daily and weekly food plan with close supervision by a dietitian and provision of basic foods.
After two months, subjects in the intervention group increased their intake of total fat due to higher consumption of monounsaturated fatty acids as well as intakes of dietary fiber, vitamin C and alcohol compared with the control group (all P<0.05). The intervention group also increased flow-mediated dilatation FMD, whereas no effect was found in the control group. Changes in lipids and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations did not differ between the two groups, whereas diastolic blood pressure decreased in the intervention group compared with the control group. There was a trend for a reduction in homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) in the intervention group compared with the control group (P=0.072).