Better heart risk markers from age 55
- Published in
- Diabetes Care 2019
- People studied
- 626
In a trial of 626 adults aged 55 to 75 with several heart risk factors, a lower-calorie Mediterranean diet with more activity led to 3.2 kg lost in a year, against 0.7 kg. Waist, blood sugar and blood fats improved more too.
- Checked against
- PubMed 30389673
- Published in
- Diabetes Care 2019
- Last checked
- 30 October 2026
Key takeaway
The PREDIMED-Plus trial in Spain included 626 adults aged 55 to 75 with overweight or obesity and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of heart risk factors such as a large waist, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. They were randomly assigned to a lower-calorie Mediterranean diet with more physical activity and behavioural support, or to a control group. After a year the programme group had lost 3.2 kg on average, against 0.7 kg, and about 1 in 3 had lost 5% or more, against about 1 in 8. Waist size, fasting blood sugar, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol improved more than in the control group.
At a glance
- Type of study
- randomised trial (PREDIMED-Plus, one-year results)
- People studied
- 626
- How long
- 1 year
- Compared with
- a control group
- Main result
- 3.2 kg lost in a year, with better waist, blood sugar and blood fats.
- Strength of evidence
- Randomised trials
What this study does not show
These are one-year changes in risk markers. This paper does not report heart attacks or strokes, and only older adults with metabolic syndrome took part.
Results from studies in groups of people, mostly in diet and movement programmes. They cannot be promised to any one person. This information is educational and does not replace a consultation with a doctor.
More on heart
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- Lower risk of serious heart eventsLong-term or observational studies · Gregg et al., Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2016
- Fewer irregular heartbeat episodesRandomised trials · Abed et al., JAMA 2013
- Better heart risk markers from age 55Randomised trials · Salas-Salvadó et al., Diabetes Care 2019
- No fewer heart attacks or strokes in one large trialRandomised trials · Look AHEAD Research Group, N Engl J Med 2013
- Lasting heart risk gains, even with regainRandomised trials · Hartmann-Boyce et al., Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2023
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