@article{3092181,
    title = "Olive oil, the Mediterranean diet, and arterial blood pressure: the
Greek European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
(EPIC) study",
    author = "Psaltopoulou, T and Naska, A and Orfanos, P and Trichopoulos, D and and Mountokalakis, T and Trichopoulou, A",
    journal = "AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION",
    year = "2004",
    volume = "80",
    number = "4",
    pages = "1012-1018",
    publisher = "Oxford University Press",
    issn = "0002-9165",
    doi = "10.1093/ajcn/80.4.1012",
    keywords = "olive oil; mediterranean diet; arterial blood pressure; European
Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study; EPIC study;
Greece",
    abstract = "Background: Diet has been reported to influence arterial blood pressure,
and evidence indicates that the Mediterranean diet reduces
cardiovascular mortality.
Objective: The objective was to examine whether the Mediterranean diet,
as an entity, and olive oil, in particular, reduce arterial blood
pressure.
Design: Arterial blood pressure and several sociodemographic,
anthropometric, dietary, physical activity, and clinical variables were
recorded at enrollment among participants in the Greek arm of the
European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)
study. Of these participants, 20 343 had never received a diagnosis of
hypertension and were included in an analysis in which systolic and
diastolic blood pressure were regressed on the indicated possible
predictors, including a 10-point score that reflects adherence to the
Mediterranean diet and, alternatively, the score’s individual components
and olive oil.
Results: The Mediterranean diet score was significantly inversely
associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Intakes of
olive oil, vegetables, and fruit were significantly inversely associated
with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, whereas cereals, meat
and meat products, and ethanol intake were positively associated with
arterial blood pressure. Mutual adjustment between olive oil and
vegetables, which are frequently consumed together, indicated that olive
oil has the dominant beneficial effect on arterial blood pressure in
this population.
Conclusions: Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is inversely associated
with arterial blood pressure, even though a beneficial component of the
Mediterranean diet score-cereal intake-is positively associated with
arterial blood pressure. Olive oil intake, per se, is inversely
associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure."
}