Question explored with the scientific record
Conversation so far
- 1 Why was the predimed trial Mediterranean diet cut short
- 2 Where do upfs figure in a Mediterranean diet
- 3 How much fat would be allowed in a Mediterranean diet
- 4 What's an industrial fat
- 5 What do you mean by an industrial fat
Answered on this page ↓
What do you mean by an industrial fat
The PREDIMED trial was stopped early for benefit, not harm, and the Mediterranean diet with olive oil or nuts cut major cardiovascular events by about 30 percent compared to a low-fat control diet.
The trial enrolled 7,447 older adults at high cardiovascular risk and randomly assigned them to a Mediterranean diet with extra-virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet with nuts, or a low-fat control diet [1]. The planned follow-up was longer, but an independent data and safety monitoring board stopped the trial after a median of 4.8 years because the Mediterranean diet groups showed a clear reduction in major cardiovascular events [1]. The hazard ratio was 0.69 for the olive oil group and 0.72 for the nut group compared to the control [1]. The trial was not cut short because of safety concerns. It was cut short because the benefit was large enough that continuing to deny the intervention to the control group was considered unethical.
The interruption was not a termination. It was an early stop for efficacy, a standard practice in trials where the treatment effect crosses a pre-specified boundary. The PREDIMED findings have been widely replicated in observational studies and meta-analyses, consistently showing that higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality [1][2][3][5][6]. The Lyon Diet Heart Study, a randomized secondary prevention trial, also stopped early after showing a 50–70% reduction in cardiovascular recurrence [4].
My call: the PREDIMED trial was interrupted because the diet worked, not because it failed. Confidence: high.
Sources used 6
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The antioxidant potential of the Mediterranean diet in patients at high cardiovascular risk: an in-depth review of the PREDIMED
Polyphenol-rich Mediterranean diet enhances endogenous antioxidant defenses and reduces inflammatory biomarkers in high-CVD-risk individuals, correlating with a lower incidence of major cardiovascular events in the PREDIMED framework.
DOI: 10.1038/s41387-018-0025-1 -
Effect of a Mediterranean Diet Intervention on Dietary Glycemic Load and Dietary Glycemic Index: The PREDIMED Study
Two Mediterranean diet interventions (MeDiet with extra-virgin olive oil or with nuts) reduced dietary glycemic load and glycemic index at one year compared with a control low-fat diet in older adults at high cardiovascular risk, as part of the PREDIMED trial.
DOI: 10.1155/2014/985373 -
Legume consumption is inversely associated with type 2 diabetes incidence in adults: A prospective assessment from the PREDIMED study
This study investigates the association between legume consumption and the incidence of type 2 diabetes in a Mediterranean population, finding that higher intake, particularly of lentils, is linked to a reduced risk of diabetes.
DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2017.03.015 -
Sex-differences in Mediterranean diet: a key piece to explain sex-related cardiovascular risk in obesity? A cross-sectional study
In a cross-sectional study of 1,648 adults with obesity, women exhibited higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet and lower cardiovascular risk (via hs-CRP) than men, with a PREDIMED score of ≤6 predicting high cardiovascular risk in both sexes, highlighting sex-specific dieta…
DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04814-z -
Plasma acylcarnitines and risk of cardiovascular disease: effect of Mediterranean diet interventions
This study investigates the association between plasma acylcarnitine levels and cardiovascular disease risk, highlighting the potential mitigating effects of Mediterranean diet interventions in individuals at high cardiovascular risk.
DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.116.130492 -
Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet: Insights From the PREDIMED Study
The PREDIMED study demonstrated that a Mediterranean diet, supplemented with either extra-virgin olive oil or nuts, significantly reduces the incidence of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes among high-risk individuals over a median follow-up of 4.8 years.
DOI: 10.1016/j.pcad.2015.04.003