Impact of the Mediterranean Diet on Cardiovascular Health

Abstract

Some research indicates that the Mediterranean diet is effective in determining behavioral risk factors for cardiovascular disease mortality at the population level. This could be one of the reasons why nutritional habits are individually adapted to each patient's clinical situation. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to be effective in reducing cardiovascular comorbidities and even preventing or treating them. Studies conducted in Ecuador have demonstrated that adopting this dietary pattern has improved anthropometric measurements such as weight, body mass index, and abdominal circumference, indicating better control of obesity and risk factors. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the capacity of the Mediterranean diet to reduce cardiovascular risk and mortality in the general population, based on studies focused on hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. To measure this impact, comparative studies have been conducted between various dietary profiles to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Mediterranean diet. A systematic literature review will be used as the methodology to search for information on the topic, based on the following databases: SciELO, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Medline Plus, and Google Scholar, focusing on indexed and peer-reviewed articles. The collected data will then be structured and subjected to a thorough examination, comparing methodologies, results, and theories. Although the use of the traditional diet has become increasingly difficult due to the growing influence of Western eating patterns, maintaining it at high levels can generate positive effects in the prevention and management of cardiovascular diseases that often coexist with obesity, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus.)