Extravirgin Olive Oil Consumption Reduces Risk of Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract

Background-The PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) randomized primary prevention trial showed that a Mediterranean diet enriched with either extravirgin olive oil or mixed nuts reduces the incidence of stroke, myocardial infarction, and 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 extravirgin 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 extravirgin 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 extravirgin olive oil significantly reduced the risk of atrial fibrillation (hazard ratio, 0.62; 95% confidence interval, 0.45-0.85 compared with the control group). No effect was found for the Mediterranean diet with nuts (hazard ratio, 0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.65-1.20). Conclusions-In Clinical Perspective on p 26In spite of advances in our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms that cause AF, preventive strategies are virtually nonexistent.6 Lifestyle factors, especially dietary habits, have been recognized as important determinants of other major cardiovascular diseases (CVDs; stroke, coronary heart disease, and peripheral artery disease). Some of the salutary effects of diet and lifestyle modification for cardiovascular risk reduction are hypothesized to be mediated by reduction of inflammation and oxidative stress in association with the metabolic syndrome. Interestingly, the same mechanisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of AF. [8][9][10] In this context, adherence to the traditional Mediterranean dietary pattern, with abundant consumption of vegetable fats such as extravirgin olive oil (EVOO), has been proven to reduce the incidence of major CVDs. 11,12 Recently, the PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) randomized primary prevention trial 13 showed that a Mediterranean diet (MeDiet) supplemented with either EVOO or mixed nuts was superior to a low-fat diet for prevention of stroke, myocardial infarction, or cardiovascular mortality 12 and for the reduction of peripheral artery disease.14 In a secondary analysis, we assessed the effect of the 2 supplemented MeDiets on the incidence of AF. Methods The PREDIMED Trial: Study Design and ParticipantsThe design, objectives, methods, and protocol of the PREDIMED study (http://www.predimed.es) have been reported in detail elsewhere. 12,13 This was a multicenter trial conducted in 11 recruiting centers affiliated with 11 Spanish university hospitals. Participants were 7447 men (aged ...

Prediction of Atrial Fibrillation in a Racially Diverse Cohort: The Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

“…Second, the CHARGE‐AF models could be helpful in selecting participants for AF primary prevention trials. Secondary analyses of completed trials suggest that statins,29 angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers,30 or some lifestyle interventions31 may reduce risk of AF onset. However, adequately powered trials specifically designed to test primary prevention approaches for AF are needed; inclusion of individuals at higher risk of developing AF will make those trials more efficient.…”

Metabolomic Pattern Analysis after Mediterranean Diet Intervention in a Nondiabetic Population: A 1- and 3-Year Follow-up in the PREDIMED Study

“…Moreover, frequency of nut consumption was recently shown to be inversely associated with the prevalence of obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes (9), and lower incidence of mortality (10) in subjects at high cardiovascular risk from the PREDIMED study. Similarly, extra-virgin olive oil consumption was recently reported to be inversely related to cardiovascular disease mortality (11), and reduced the risk of atrial fibrillation (12).…”

Dopamine gene methylation patterns are associated with obesity markers and carbohydrate intake

“…The MENA cohort is constituted by previous clinical trials analyzing genome‐environmental interactions concerning weight management and associated metabolic outcomes (Abete et al., 2015; Huerta, Navas‐Carretero, Prieto‐Hontoria, Martínez, & Moreno‐Aliaga, 2015; Larsen et al., 2010; Martínez‐González et al., 2014; Petersen et al., 2006; San‐Cristobal et al., 2015; Santos et al., 2016; Zulet et al., 2011). Each study received ethical approval from appropriate local Human Research Ethics Committees.…”