Key result
Mediterranean diet adherence linked to ~48% smaller increase in adolescent diastolic blood pressure over two years.
Why the study?
Literature on the relationship between healthy dietary patterns and blood pressure during adolescence is scarce and controversial, with both inverse and null associations reported.
Does higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet and higher consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables at baseline reduce blood pressure increases over a two-year period in adolescents?
Cohort (n=197)
Yes
Does higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet and higher consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables at baseline reduce blood pressure increases over a two-year period in adolescents?
Promoting adherence to the Mediterranean diet and daily vegetable consumption during adolescence blunts age-related increases in diastolic blood pressure over two years, supporting early dietary intervention to mitigate future cardiovascular risk.
BACKGROUND: Previous research in adults has suggested that healthy dietary patterns could be an effective strategy for blood pressure (BP) control. However, during adolescence, the scientific literature examining this relationship is scarce and controversial since inverse and null associations have been reported. Thus, the aim of our study was to analyze the relationship between the level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables at baseline with changes in BP over a two-year period during adolescence. METHODS: The analyses included 197 adolescents (92 girls) aged 13.9 ± 0.3 years. Adherence to the MD and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables were assessed using the KIDMED questionnaire and a food frequency questionnaire, respectively. BP values were measured using an automatic sphygmomanometer according to standardized procedures. RESULTS: Adolescents with high adherence levels to the MD, and high consumption of vegetables (but not fruits) at baseline, showed smaller increases in diastolic BP changes over two years (percentage of reduction ranging from ~48% to ~88%, all p < 0.026). No significant relationships were identified in systolic BP over the two-year period. CONCLUSION: Our findings underscore the importance of promoting MD and vegetable consumption to reduce diastolic BP during adolescence, contributing to lowering future cardiovascular risk.
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Fernández‐Galván et al. (2024) conducted a cohort in Adolescents without diagnosed physical or neurological chronic diseases evaluated for blood pressure changes (n=197). High adherence to the Mediterranean diet (KIDMED score 8-12) and high consumption of fresh vegetables (>1 per day) vs. Poor adherence to the Mediterranean diet (KIDMED score 0-7) and low consumption of fresh vegetables (<1 per day) was evaluated on Change in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) over a two-year period (B = 4.03, 95% CI 6.29; -1.77, p=<0.01). High adherence to the Mediterranean diet and high vegetable consumption at baseline reduced 2-year diastolic blood pressure increases by 48% (p≤0.001) and 88% (p=0.022) in adolescents.
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