Research · April 30, 2014
TAKE-HOME MESSAGE
- In this randomized primary prevention trial, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil significantly reduced the incidence of newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation compared with a low-fat diet and a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts.
- The authors conclude that extra-virgin olive oil within an overall Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of developing atrial fibrillation.
– Samer Ajam, MD
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND
The PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED) randomized primary prevention trial showed that a Mediterranean diet enriched with either extra-virgin olive oil or mixed nuts reduces incidence of stroke, myocardial infarction or cardiovascular mortality. We assessed the effect of these diets on the incidence of atrial fibrillation in the PREDIMED trial.
METHODS AND RESULTS
Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 diets: Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil, Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts, or advice to follow a low-fat diet (control group). Incident atrial fibrillation was adjudicated during follow-up by an events committee blinded to dietary group allocation. Among 6705 participants without prevalent atrial fibrillation at randomization, we observed 72 new cases of atrial fibrillation in the Mediterranean diet with extra-virgin olive oil group, 82 in the Mediterranean diet with mixed nuts group, and 92 in the control group, after median follow-up of 4.7 years. The Mediterranean diet with extra-virgin olive oil significantly reduced the risk of atrial fibrillation (hazard ratio (HR): 0.62, 95% CI 0.45-0.85, compared to the control group). No effect was found for the Mediterranean diet with nuts (HR: 0.89, 95% CI 0.65-1.20).
CONCLUSIONS
In the absence of proven interventions for the primary prevention of atrial fibrillation, this post-hoc analysis of the PREDIMED trial suggests that extra-virgin olive oil in the context of a Mediterranean dietary pattern may reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation.
Circulation
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Consumption Reduces Risk of Atrial Fibrillation: The PREDIMED Trial
Circulation 2014 Apr 30;[EPub Ahead of Print], MÁ Martínez-González, E Toledo, F Arós, M Fiol, D Corella, J Salas-Salvadó, E Ros, MI Covas, J Fernández-Crehuet, J Lapetra, MA Muñoz, M Fitó, L Serra-Majem, X Pintó, RM Lamuela-Raventós, JV Sorlí, N Babio, P Buil-Cosiales, V Ruiz-Gutierrez, R Estruch, A Alonso