Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the risk of stroke in Chilean population: a case-control study 

Introduction: Different dietary interventions have been implemented to reduce stroke incidence; one is the Mediterranean diet. Ñuble is the region of Chile with the highest stroke incidence rates in the country. The aim was to estimate the association between adherence to the MED diet and stroke incidence in adult patients living in the Ñuble region. Methods: : A case-control hospital-based study was conducted. The cases (n=89) were patients with first ischemic stroke, and controls (n=178) were admitted to the same hospital during the same month the cases were recruited. We selected two controls for one case and paired them for sex and age ( + 5 years). We used the food frequency questionnaire and the MEDAS questionnaire validated and used in the PREDIMED study to assess adherence to a Mediterranean diet pattern. A descriptive analysis of the variables was performed using absolute frequencies and proportions and a conditional logistic regression to determine the association between variables. Results: : 71% of the sample was ≥65 years old and 64% were male. Cases smoked (11.2%), consumed at least one drink per month (41.6%), and had a diagnosis of hypertension (76.4%) more frequently than controls. In the model adjusted for all variables, it is observed that those who are in quartile 2 of adherence (6-7 points) are 42% less likely to have a cerebral infarction compared to those who have a lower score (p<0.005). Conclusions: : Our findings suggest that moderate adherence to a Mediterranean diet, defined by the PREDIMED score and adjustment for other variables, reduces stroke incidence.