Table 1. Effects of Mediterranean diet versus control diet on cardiovascular risk markers
Risk marker Intervention diet, mean (SD)* Control diet, mean (SD)* Comparison of change

2 yr Change P 2 yr Change P Difference (95% CI) P at 2 yr

Weight (kg) 74 (7) -4 (1.1) <.001 75.8 (7) -1.2 (0.6) .02 -2.8 (-5.1 to -0.5) <.001

Waist circumference (cm) 90 (8) -2 (0.5) .1 93 (10) 0 (0.01) .74 -2 (-3.5 to -0.5) .01

Glycemic status
Plasma glucose (mg/dL) 105 (9) -8 (3) <.001 112 (9) -2.0 (1.5) .21 -6 (-11 to -2) <.001
Serum insulin (microunits/mL) 11 (5) -4 (1.9) .01 15.5 (7) -0.5 (1.0) .45 -3.5 (-6.1 to -1.7) .01

Serum lipids
Total cholesterol (mg/dL) 188 (29) -11 (6) .01 191 (30) -2 (2) .23 -9 (-17 to -1) .02
HDL-C (mg/dL) 45 (10) +4 (2) .01 43 (9) +1 (1) .08 +3 (0.8 to 5.2) .03
Triglycerides (mg/dL) 150 (49) -18 (8) .01 173 (53) +1 (3) .15 -19 (-32 to -6) .001

Endothelial function score 7.9 (1.3) +1.9 (0.6) <.001 6.1 (1.1) +0.2 (0.2) .09 +1.7 (1.0 to 2.4) .01

Inflammatory mediators
hs-CRP (mg/L) 1.7 (0.4-4.9) -1.1 (0.4) .01 2.8 (0.5-5.5) -0.1 (0.3) .12 -1 (-1.7 to -0.3) .01
IL-6 (pg/mL) 1.4 (0.4-3.8) -0.7 (0.3) .02 1.8 (0.5-4.5) -0.1 (0.2) .21 -0.6 (-1.1 to -0.1) .04

CI, confidence interval; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; hs-CRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; IL-6, interleukin 6; SD, standard deviation.

*n=90.

Data from Esposito et al (14).