Background: A Mediterranean dietary pattern has been associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, as well as a reduction of oxidative stress, but studies indicating possible interactions between food intake and inflammatory mediators production at specific sites are lacking.
Aim of the study: To assess the relationship between Mediterranean diet consumption and inflammatory related molecules production in coronary vessels.
Methods: A previously reported Mediterranean-diet score was computed summing-up the quintiles of eight dietary components from a validated food frequency questionnaire in 24 patients with unstable angina. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1) concentrations were measured in coronary sinus blood.
Results: Both biomarkers showed an inverse association with the Mediterraneandiet score. The association between VCAM-1 and the Mediterranean-diet score had an adjusted beta coefficient of -35.1 ng/ml (95% coefficient interval, CI: -63.5 to -6.7). The adjusted beta coefficient using TNF-alpha as the dependent variable was -41.6 pg/ml (95 % CI: -76.2 to -7.1). The consumption of olive oil as a single item showed a significant inverse association, and a Mediterranean-diet score excluding olive oil was also inversely associated with TNF-alpha and VCAM-1 serum levels in coronary venous blood.
Conclusions: Adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern may protect against coronary artery wall production of inflammatory mediators. This finding could provide a novel mechanistic explanation for the recognized lower coronary risk associated with a Mediterranean diet.