Some studies have suggested that the Mediterranean diet could decrease the risk of developing the metabolic syndrome. The PREDIMED study compared the effect of 2 different behavioural interventions to implement the Mediterranean diet (addition of virgin olive oil or nuts) vs. advice on a low-fat diet (control group) over 1 year on metabolic syndrome status in a sample of 1,224 individuals . After 1 year, the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome dropped by 6.7% in the Mediterranean diet+olive oil group, by 13.7% in the Mediterranean diet+nuts group, and by 2.0% in the control group. Only the reduction in the Mediterranean diet+nuts group was significantly greater than in the control group (p=0.01). The reversion rate of abdominal obesity (waist circumference) was the greatest in the Mediterranean diet+nuts group. The incidence rates of the metabolic syndrome were not significantly different among the three groups. Finally, the adjusted odds ratios for reversion of the metabolic syndrome were 1.3 (95% CI: 0.8-2.1) for the Mediterranean diet+olive oil group and 1.7 (95% CI: 1.1-2.6) for the Mediterranean diet+nuts group compared to the control group. In light of these results, the addition of nuts to the Mediterranean diet seems to be a useful tool in the management of features of the metabolic syndrome.
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