Aortic & peripheral vascular diseaseCohort study
Midlife Mediterranean diet is associated with subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in late midlife
- Cohort study
Authors' conclusion
Findings underscore associations of midlife Mediterranean-style diet and lower presence of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis at Age 60
Study context
- Population
- 60-year-olds at the Swedish VIPVIZA trial baseline (2013–16) with retrospective VIP dietary data at ages 40, 50 and 60
- Participants
- 1,034 participants
- Exposure
- High or midrange vs low cumulative Mediterranean diet score (MDS) at ages 40, 50 and 60
- Outcome
- Subclinical carotid atherosclerosis: carotid plaque (CP) presence and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) by ultrasound
- Follow-up
- Age 60
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
CP presence
Each group vs low MDSOdds ratio (95% CI)
High MDS
0.72(0.52–0.98)
Midrange MDS
0.74(0.55–0.99)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | OR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| CP and MDS, by sex (subgroup) · Age 60 · women | 0.41 (0.237–0.703) | |
| 0.20.5125Odds ratio (log scale) |
- Carotid plaque (CP) and MDS, by sex (subgroup) — Significant association between CIMT and MDS only in men
- P < 0.05
CP and MDS, by sex (subgroup) · Age 60
- Initial sex-stratified analysis: similar, though non-significant, point estimates
Healthy diet score and CP or CIMT · Age 60
- No significant associations of midlife healthy diet score with CP or CIMT
Original publication
Midlife Mediterranean diet is associated with subclinical carotid atherosclerosis in late midlife. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 18 March 2025. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf155
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it