Mediterranean Diet adherence and congestive heart failure: relationship with clinical severity and ischemic pathogenesis

Abstract Background No study to our knowledge addressed the relationship between adherence to a Mediterranean Diet style and severity of heart failure. We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the relationship between Me-Di adherence assessed using the calculation of Mediterranean Diet Score (MeDi score) and congestive heart failure, its severity and pathogenesis. Methods We analyzed charts and collected data of all consecutive patients with a diagnosis at admission of congestive heart failure admitted to our Internal Medicine Ward from 2008 to 2014. Results 209 patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) were analyzed and 200 control subjects. Patients with CHF in comparison to control subjects showed a significantly lower mean MeDi score Score. At ROC curve analysis we found a good sensitivity and specificity of mean MeDi score to predict congestive heart failure. We also observed a significant positive correlation between MeDi score and ischemic pathogenesis of CHF, a positive relationship between NYHA class and ischemic heart disease and a significant negative relationship between NYHA class and MeDi Score . Discussion reported beneficial effects of MeDi adherence suggest a possible answer to the question of the biochemical bases of our data, which should be seen as the direct consequence of the anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-remodeling effects linked to MeDi Diet.