A Mediterranean type diet reduced all cause and cardiac mortality after a first myocardial infarction
Question In patients who have had a first myocardial infarction (MI), does a Mediterranean type diet (rich in α linolenic acid) reduce death, subsequent MI, and cancer better than a diet similar to the Step 1 American Heart Association (AHA) diet?
Design
Randomised controlled trial with a mean follow up of approximately 4 years (Lyon Diet Heart Study).
Setting
A coronary care unit in Lyon, France.
Patients
605 patients {mean age 54 y, 91% men}* who had a first MI. {Exclusion criteria were severe heart failure, hypertension [blood pressure >180/110 mm Hg], inability to complete an exercise test, or other conditions thought to limit survival or participation}*.
Intervention
302 patients were allocated to a Mediterranean type diet consisting of increased bread, cereals, fresh fruit and vegetables, legumes, and fish; moderate amounts of red wine at meals; decreased meat and delicatessen foods; and no butter or cream (replaced by an experimental canola oil based margarine rich in oleic and α …
