Mediterranean diet, traditional risk factors, and the rate of cardiovascular complications after myocardial infarction: final report of the Lyon Diet Heart Study.

Background: The Lyon Diet Heart Study is a randomized secondary prevention trial aimed at testing whether a Mediterranean-type diet may reduce the rate of recurrence after a first myocardial infarction. An intermediate analysis showed a striking protective effect after 27 months of follow-up. This report presents results of an extended follow-up (with a mean of 46 months per patient) and deals with the relationships of dietary patterns and traditional risk factors with recurrence.

Sunscreen use, wearing clothes, and number of nevi in 6- to 7-year-old European children. European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Melanoma Cooperative Group.

Background: Previous epidemiologic studies have suggested that sunscreen use is associated with an increased risk of melanoma skin cancer. Because high nevi (mole) count in adults is a strong predictor of melanoma, we conducted a study examining the number of nevi in 6- to 7-year-old European children, according to their sunscreen use.

Methods: Whole-body and site-specific counts of nevi 2 mm or larger were performed in 631 children in their first year of primary school in four European cities.

Mediterranean dietary pattern in a randomized trial: prolonged survival and possible reduced cancer rate.

Background: The Mediterranean dietary pattern is thought to reduce the risk of cancer in addition to being cardioprotective. However, no trial has been conducted so far to prove this belief.

Methods: We compared overall survival and newly diagnosed cancer rate among 605 patients with coronary heart disease randomized in the Lyon Diet Heart Study and following either a cardioprotective Mediterranean-type diet or a control diet close to the step 1 American Heart Association prudent diet.

The 'diet heart' hypothesis in secondary prevention of coronary heart disease.

From this detailed analysis of the main dietary trials conducted over the last 30 years in the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease, it can be said that the older trials were conducted on low risk patients and used high fat diets (about 40% of energy as lipids), comprising low saturated fat and cholesterol intake but very high (15 to 20% of energy) polyunsaturated fat intake, particularly from the omega-6 fatty acid family. These experimental diets were designed to reduce blood cholesterol and failed to improve prognosis. By contrast, recent trials were not primarily designed to reduce cholesterol, were conducted in medium- and high-risk patients and used low fat diets supplemented by omega-3 fatty acids from various sources.

Effect of a mediterranean type of diet on the rate of cardiovascular complications in patients with coronary artery disease. Insights into the cardioprotective effect of certain nutriments.

Objectives: We sought to describe the various cardiovascular complications that occurred in the Lyon Diet Heart Study (a secondary prevention trial testing the protective effects of a Mediterranean type of diet), to analyze their relations with the associated drug treatments and to gain insights into the possible mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of certain nutriments.

Background: Dietary habits are implicated in coronary heart disease, and the traditional Mediterranean diet is thought to be cardioprotective. However, the exact mechanisms of this protection are unknown.