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Mediterranean diet lowers heart disease risk
Eating Mediterranean-style food could be just the recipe for a healthy heart, according to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
The Australian study found that people who ate a traditionally Mediterranean diet - rich in fish, fruit and vegetables with fewer animal products - were less likely to die from heart disease.
Scientists from Monash University in Melbourne decided to look into the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet after noticing that migrants to Australia from sunny western European countries had lower death rates than native-born Australians.
The research followed over 40,000 people, aged between 40 and 69 years old, over a ten-year period. Nearly a quarter of the study group were immigrants born in Mediterranean countries, while the remainder were native Australians.
The volunteers filled out detailed questionnaires on their dietary habits and then their health was monitored throughout the trial period.
The results showed that people who consumed the most Mediterranean foods were 30 percent less likely to die of heart disease than people who ate hardly any.
This latest study backs up previous research underlining the benefits of Mediterranean cuisine. A Dutch study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people aged between 70 and 90 years old who mixed a Mediterranean diet with a healthy lifestyle had more than a 50 percent lower mortality rate than those who did not.
The Mediterranean diet is thought to be healthier because it is low in unhealthy saturated fats and high in monounsaturated fat and dietary fibre. Olive oil, a staple of the region, is also believed to help lower cholesterol and help maintain healthy blood sugar levels and blood pressure. While a favourite Mediterranean tipple, red wine, contains plenty of health boosting antioxidants.
How to eat the Mediterranean way
- Eat a generous amount of fruits and vegetables
- Try using healthy fats such as olive oil for salad dressings and cooking
- Snack on small portions of unsalted nuts
- Drink red wine in moderation
- Eat sparingly of red meat
- Eat fish regularly
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Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.