Mediterranean Diet Aids Cardiovascular Health Measures in Children, Teens

WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Mediterranean diet (MedDiet)-based interventions aid some cardiovascular health measures among children and adolescents, according to a review published online July 12 in JAMA Network Open.

José Francisco López-Gil, Ph.D., from Universidad de Las Américas in Quito, Ecuador, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to assess the effects of MedDiet-based interventions on biomarkers of cardiometabolic health among children and adolescents.

Based on data from nine randomized controlled trials (577 participants; mean age, 11 years), the researchers found that MedDiet-based interventions were significantly associated with reductions in systolic blood pressure (mean difference, −4.75 mm Hg), triglycerides (mean difference, −16.42 mg/dL), total cholesterol (mean difference, −9.06 mg/dL), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (mean difference, −10.48 mg/dL), as well as increases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (mean difference, 2.24 mg/dL), compared to the control group. There were no significant associations seen for other biomarkers studied, including diastolic blood pressure, glucose, insulin, or homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance.

“These findings highlight the relevance of Mediterranean diet–based interventions as a useful tool to optimize cardiometabolic health in children and adolescents,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text