The Medi-RIVAGE study (Mediterranean Diet, Cardiovascular Risks and Gene Polymorphisms): rationale, recruitment, design, dietary intervention and baseline characteristics of participants.

OBJECTIVE To report the rationale, recruitment, design, dietary intervention and baseline characteristics of participants in the Medi-RIVAGE study (Mediterranean Diet, Cardiovascular Risks and Gene Polymorphisms). DESIGN A randomised, parallel trial comparing a new nutritional programme with a conventional programme. SETTING Centre for Detection and Prevention of Arteriosclerosis, Timone University Hospital, Marseille, France, and collaborating teams. SUBJECTS Two hundred and twelve male and female volunteers with at least one cardiovascular risk factor. INTERVENTION A Mediterranean-type diet characterised mainly by the quality of fatty acids, amount of fish, vegetable foodstuffs and fibre was proposed and compared with a usually prescribed, low-fat/cholesterol diet. Body mass index, fasting lipids and lipoproteins, apolipoproteins, glucose, insulin and homocysteine were the main outcome measures. Gene polymorphisms of interest were determined. RESULTS Characteristics of men in the two arms were comparable with regard to sociodemographic variables, and clinical and biological cardiovascular risk factors. There were few differences between the groups of women (cholesterol-related parameters, P<0.05). There was no difference between arms in allelic distribution of the gene polymorphisms studied. Saturated fat and protein intakes were high while carbohydrate and fibre intakes were low, but with no difference between arms. Overall, the nutritional markers were comparable in both arms with few exceptions. Correlations between nutritional intakes and plasma nutrient levels ranged from 0.19 (beta-carotene) to 0.47 (folate). CONCLUSIONS The comparability of the two arms is notable and warrants a low risk of biases. Current diet departs from the traditional Mediterranean one. The assessment of nutritional intake is validated by correlations obtained between dietary intake and relevant biomarkers. This will be important to estimate participant compliance and to analyse intervention data.