Table 1.
Baseline population characteristics.
| ALL | MD | LFD | p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 130 | n = 64 | n = 66 | ||
| Men (n%) | 113 (86.9%) | 54 (84.4%) | 59 (89.4%) | 0.40 |
| Age (years) | 62.2 ± 9.5 | 63.0 ± 6.8 | 61.5 ± 11.6 | 0.35 |
| Height (m) | 1.70 ± 0.09 | 1.69 ± 0.09 | 1.70 ± 0.08 | 0.77 |
| Body Weight (Kg) | 79.2 ± 12.5 | 77.6 ± 12.2 | 80.8 ± 12.6 | 0.18 |
| BMI (Kg/m2) | 27.47 ± 3.46 | 27.1 ± 3.3 | 27.8 ± 3.6 | 0.31 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 98.0 ± 9.8 | 97.0 ± 9.8 | 99.0 ± 9.8 | 0.33 |
| Smoking (n%) | 0.26 | |||
| former smoker | 77 (59.2%) | 37 (57.8%) | 40 (60.6%) | |
| current smoker | 15 (11.5%) | 5 (7.8%) | 10 (15.2%) | |
| non-smoker | 38 (29.2%) | 22 (34.4%) | 16 (24.2%) | |
| Physical activity (n%) | 0.47 | |||
| intense | 29 (22.3%) | 14 (21.9%) | 15 (22.7%) | |
| average | 41 (31.5%) | 18 (28.1%) | 23 (34.9%) | |
| low | 60 (46.2%) | 32 (50.0%) | 28 (42.4%) | |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 167.6 ± 29.2 | 172.7 ± 29.1 | 162.6 ± 28.5 | 0.05 |
| HDL-cholesterol (mg/dL) | 50.9 ± 13.0 | 49.8 ± 12.5 | 51.9 ± 13.5 | 0.45 |
| LDL-cholesterol (mg/dL) | 93.8 ± 25.5 | 99.3 ± 26.3 | 88.5 ± 23.6 | 0.02 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 114.4 ± 57.7 | 117.9 ± 63.2 | 111.1 ± 52.0 | 0.93 |
| Fasting blood glucose (mg/dL) | 101.9 ± 10.4 | 100.1 ± 9.1 | 103.7 ± 11.3 | 0.14 |
| SBP (mmHg) | 132.4 ± 18.0 | 132.8 ± 16.8 | 131.9 ± 19.3 | 0.63 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 79.4 ± 10.2 | 79.0 ± 10.9 | 79.9 ± 9.5 | 0.63 |
| On lipid-lowering therapy (n%) | 119 (91.5%) | 55 (85.9%) | 64 (97.0%) | 0.02 |
| On antihypertensive therapy (n%) | 119 (91.5%) | 60 (93.8%) | 59 (89.4%) | 0.37 |
| On antiplatelet therapy (n%) | 123 (94.6%) | 61 (95.3%) | 62 (93.9%) | 0.73 |
| Total medicines (median [min; max]) | 5 [3;9] | 5 [3; 9] | 5 [3; 9] | 0.94 |
| MeDAS Score | 7.25 ± 1.6 | 7.36 ± 1.4 | 7.14 ± 1.8 | 0.47 |
Continuous variables are expressed as mean ± standard deviation; categorical data are presented as frequency and (percentage). MD: Mediterranean diet; LFD: low-fat diet; MeDAS score: Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener score; SBP: systolic blood pressure; DBP: diastolic blood pressure.