Cross-over study on effects of Mediterranean diet in two randomly selected population samples

Two randomly selected population samples in Western Sicily, one rural (n = 40) and one urban (n = 40), were studied to evaluate the impact of dietary intervention on lipid, coagulative and fibrinolytic parameters. The two groups received the diets in a cross-over design with the following sequences: (a) baseline period; (b) 8-week dietary intervention period; (c) 8-week return to the original diet. During (a) and (c) all subjects consumed their usual diet. During the dietary intervention period (b), the rural sample consumed the urban sample's diet, while the urban sample consumed the rural sample's diet (the so-called “Mediterranean diet”). At baseline, after 8 weeks' dietary intervention period and after 8 weeks' return to the original diet, the following parameters were measured: blood glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoproteins A1 and B100, fibrinogen, factors VII and VIII, tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor Our results show a positive effect of the Mediterranean diet on lipid, coagulative and fibrinolytic parameters which play a key role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and indicate that this dietary pattern may help in the primary prevention of CHD.