An Indian adapted Mediterranean diet: A feasibility study

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in Indians. The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is cardioprotective, in part, because of its anti-inflammatory properties. We tested the feasibility of implementing an Indian Adapted Mediterranean Diet (IAMD) based on North Indian cuisine.

The IAMD is based on common Indian foods similar to their MD counterparts. Culturally suitable substitutes of specific Mediterranean foods were identified to develop typical North Indian recipes for IAMD. A 7-day calorie-specific cyclic diet plan using these recipes was prescribed to 57 participants with stable CAD or INTERHEART Score >15 on stable therapy. Food frequency questionnaire-based intakes were used to evaluate changes in participants' energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DII) scores at 3 months. The acceptability, compliance, and change in biomarkers (lipids, hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c], insulin, C-reactive protein, interleukin [IL]-10, IL-6, and ghrelin) were assessed.

The mean age of the participants was 52.9 ± 8.2 years; 10% were females, 49% had type 2 diabetes mellitus. Among those who completed the 3-month follow-up (n = 53), the body mass index decreased from 24.7 to 24.3 kg/m² (P < .01) and the median E-DII score decreased from -0.5 to -1.29 (P < .01). Most participants found the diet acceptable and easy to follow, and 83% reported adhering to more than 50% of the prescribed diet. There was a significant decrease in HbA1c (6.28% to 6.07%), leptin (3.55 to 2.84 ng/mL), and ghrelin (2836.2 to 2650.7 pg/mL).

Implementing IAMD based on North Indian cuisine is feasible among CAD patients. The efficacy needs to be further tested in clinical trials.