The Mediterranean Diet Effects on Atrial Premature Complexes

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between atrial premature complexes (APC) and Mediterranean diet score. Rhythm disturbances in the heart significantly affect the quality of life of the patients. Material and Methods: This study was conducted on 50 patients with palpitations who were referred to the cardiology outpatient clinic and had more than 10000 APC per day as a result of a 24-hour holter, and 50 patients who presented with palpitations but had less than 10,000 APC in the holter. Diet quality was determined by scoring method (5, 6-9 and ≥10 points) ‘Mediterranean Diet Adaptation Scale’ and compared between groups. Results: There was no difference between the two groups in terms of clinical and demographic characteristics. Mediterranean diet scores were found lower in patients with APC’s ≥10.000/day (p<0.001). A significant negative correlation was found between APC and Mediterranean diet score (p<0.001, r = -0.560). Conclusion: The protective role of Mediterranean diet type nutrition on the frequency of APC was clearly observed in our study. This study, which is one of the limited numbers of studies examining the relationship between Mediterranean diet and APC, may be helpful in understanding the pathophysiology of APC.