Mediterraean diet could protect elderly from vein problems

4/26/2006

A Mediterranean-style diet, rich in olive oil, fresh vegetables and vitamin E, could reduce the risk of obstructions in blood vessels in the elderly, says Italian research. Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) can be caused by hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), inflammation, and even thrombosis.

The problem is thought to affect over 20 per cent of people over the age of 56, with about 10m people affected in the US alone.

The new study, published in the journal Atherosclerosis (Vol. 186, pp. 200-206), assessed the nutrient and dietary intake of 1251 home-dwelling people with an average age of 68 using the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) questionnaire.

The InCHIANTI study, led by Claudio Pedone from the Universita “Campus Biomedico” in Rome, measured the prevalence of PVD using the ankle-brancial index (ABI). The lower systolic blood pressure at the ankle was divided by the lower systolic pressure at the arm. Values less than 0.9 signified the presence of PVD.

The researchers found that three dietary factors were associated with lower risks of PVD. A daily intake of vegetable lipids, mostly from olive oil, of 34 grams or more cut the risk of PVD by more than 60 per cent. Higher blood levels of HDL cholesterol were also linked with a lower risk, with every 10 milligrams per decilitre increase associated with a 24 per cent lower risk.