Mediterranean diet reduces peripheral arterial disease

　　The hypothesis that the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes, as well as the risk of PAD, has not been confirmed by randomized trials;?The PREDIMED randomized trial showed that the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of peripheral arterial disease The hypothesis that the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes, as well as the risk of PAD, has never been confirmed by randomized trials. To address this issue, Dr. Martínez-González and others from Spain conducted a randomized trial called PREDIMED, the results of which were published in the January 22, 2014 issue of JAMA, which found that the Mediterranean diet reduces peripheral arterial disease.　　The study, conducted in Spain between October 2003 and December 2010, was a multicenter, randomized, initial preventive trial that enrolled 7,435 subjects aged 55-80 years in men and 60-80 years in women with no PAD or cardiovascular disease at basal level, but with diabetes or at least three cardiovascular risk factors. Subjects were randomized into 3 groups: Mediterranean diet with virgin olive oil (2539), Mediterranean diet with nuts (2452) and control group (2444). The primary endpoint of the study was the occurrence of PAD.　　The results of the study showed that the risk of PAD was lower in the Mediterranean diet plus virgin olive oil or plus nuts group compared to the control group. After adjusting for common risk factors for atherosclerosis, the risk ratios were 0.34 and 0.50 for the Mediterranean diet plus virgin olive oil and Mediterranean diet plus nuts, respectively, compared to the control group, with no significant difference between these two groups. The number needed to treat (NNT) was 336 and 448 in the Mediterranean diet with virgin olive oil and the Mediterranean diet with nuts groups, respectively. Conclusion: The Mediterranean diet reduces peripheral arterial disease.　　STUDY BACKGROUND: The role of nutrition in the prevention of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is unclear.　　The Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke, and also the risk of PAD, but this hypothesis has never been confirmed by randomized trials. We investigated the association between the Mediterranean diet and symptomatic PAD by conducting a non-preconfigured, exploratory analysis of the PREDIMED randomized trial.