The green Mediterranean – high polyphenols weight-reduction plan substantially regresses proximal aortic stiffness (PAS), a marker of vascular aging and increased cardiovascular risk. The green Mediterranean weight-reduction plan was pitted against the healthy Mediterranean weight-reduction plan and a healthy guideline-recommended control weight-reduction plan within the DIRECT PLUS, a large-scale clinical intervention trial. Researchers found that the green Mediterranean weight-reduction plan regressed proximal aortic stiffness by 15%, the Mediterranean weight-reduction plan by 7.3%, and the healthy dietary guideline-directed weight-reduction plan by 4.8%.

The study was recently published in the highest ranked journal in the sphere of Cardiology, JACC (Journal of the American College of Cardiology). That is the primary time that scientists have presented a robust, potent effect of weight-reduction plan on the age-related proximal aortic stiffness.

DIRECT PLUS was a large-scale, long run clinical trial over 18 months amongst 300 participants, which used MRIs to measure aortic stiffness, probably the most accurate noninvasive measure.

Aortic stiffness is a measure of the elasticity of the blood vessel wall, and it occurs when the elastic fibers inside the arterial wall (elastin) begin to fray on account of mechanical stress. Proximal aortic stiffness (PAS) reflects the aortic stiffness from the ascending to the proximal-descending thoracic aorta; the section of the aorta, the most important artery within the body that carries oxygen-rich blood away from the center. Proximal aortic stiffness is a definite marker of vascular aging and an independent cardiovascular risk factor to predict morbidity and mortality.

The research was led by Prof. Iris Shai of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, an adjunct Professor from the Harvard School of Public Health and an honorary professor on the University of Leipzig, Germany, along together with her PHD student Dr. Gal Tsaban, a cardiologist from Soroka University Medical Center, and colleagues from Harvard and Leipzig Universities.

The DIRECT-PLUS trial research team was the primary to introduce the concept of the green-Mediterranean, high polyphenols weight-reduction plan. This modified Mediterranean weight-reduction plan is distinct from the standard Mediterranean weight-reduction plan due to its more abundant dietary polyphenols (phytochemicals, secondary metabolites of plant compounds that supply various health advantages) and lower red/processed meat. On top of a each day intake of walnuts (28 grams), the green-Mediterranean dieters consumed 3-4 cups of green tea and 1 cup of Wolffia-globosa (Mankai) plant green shake of duckweed per day over 18 months. The aquatic green plant Mankai is high in bioavailable iron, B12, 200 sorts of polyphenols and protein, and is subsequently substitute for meat.

The team has shown in previous studies that the green Mediterranean, high polyphenols, weight-reduction plan has various salutary effects starting from reshaping the microbiome (Gastroenterology 2021) to halting brain atrophy (AJCN 2022) and regressing hepatosteatosis (Gut 2021) and visceral adiposity (BMC Med 2022).

A healthy lifestyle is a powerful basis for improving cardiometabolic health. We learned from the outcomes of our experiment that the standard of the weight-reduction plan is crucial for mobilizing atherogenic adipose tissues, lowering cardiometabolic risk, and improving one’s adiposity profile. Dietary polyphenols, substituting pork with equivalent plant-based protein, show promise for improving various points of human health. Nonetheless, thus far, no dietary strategies have been shown to affect vascular aging physiology.”

Prof. Iris Shai of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

“Maintaining a healthy weight-reduction plan alone is related to PAS regression. The green-Mediterranean weight-reduction plan provides a 15% dramatic reduction in PAS, which is gained by making easy and feasible changes to your weight-reduction plan and lifestyle. The outcomes of our study highlight, once more, that not all diets provide similar advantages and that the green-Mediterranean weight-reduction plan may promote vascular health,” notes Dr. Tsaban.

Additional researchers include: Aryeh Shalev, Amos Katz, Anat Yaskolka Meir, Ehud Rinott, Hila Zelicha, Alon Kaplan, Arik Wolak, Matthias Bluher, and Meir J Stampfer.

This work was funded by grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – Project number 209933838- SFB 1052; the Rosetrees Trust (grant A2623); Israel Ministry of Health grant 87472511; Israel Ministry of Science and Technology grant 3-13604; and the California Walnuts Commission.

Not one of the funding providers was involved in any stage of the design, conduct, or evaluation of the study, and so they had no access to the study results before publication.

Source:

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Journal reference:

Tsaban, G., et al. (2023). Effect of Lifestyle Modification and Green Mediterranean Diet on Proximal Aortic Stiffness. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2023.02.032.