Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Implications for Cardiovascular Risk Prevention

Background/Objectives:Arterial hypertension, increased carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), and arterial stiffness (AS) are recognized predictors of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Emerging evidence suggests that vascular remodeling may precede the full development of hypertension. Furthermore, body mass index (BMI), fat mass percentage (FM%), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT), are significant risk factors for cardiovascular events. Conversely, adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced cardiovascular risk due to its beneficial effects on lipid metabolism, inflammation, and vascular health. Methods: This observational study explored the association between nutritional care and cardiovascular risk in 55 Italian adults (27 women, 28 men) consecutively evaluated at the Section of Clinical Nutrition and Nutrigenomics, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", in 2024. Nutritional and vascular assessments, including BMI, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), BIA, DXA, lab tests, blood pressure (BP), pulse wave velocity (PWV), and cIMT, were recorded. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the relationship between vascular and nutritional parameters. Wilcoxon rank sum test; Fisher's exact test; and Pearson's Chi-squared test were performed for statistical analysis. Participants were divided into two groups based on cIMT > 0.90 mm and ≤0.90 mm. Results: Significant correlations emerged between higher MEDAS scores and BMI (r = -0.53, p < 0.01), FM% (r = -0.49, p < 0.01), VAT (r = -0.63, p < 0.01), and cIMT (r = -0.88, p < 0.01). Higher WHR and VAT were associated with increased brachial and central BP and PWV. Notable dietary differences were significantly higher between cIMT groups. Total cholesterol/C-HDL, C-LDL/C-HDL, the Atherogenic Index of Plasma, and the HOMA Index differed significantly between groups. Significant differences were also observed in the left ventricular diastolic function (p = 0.04), LVM/BSA, and LVM/h^2.7 in individuals with subclinical atherosclerosis (p < 0.05). Conclusions: These innovative findings underline the importance of multidisciplinary approaches to prevent CVD and suggest long-term benefits of Mediterranean diet adherence on vascular health.