Mediterranean diet
People who eat a Mediterranean-like diet have healthier hearts, but those studies couldn't rule out that other health or lifestyle differences had made the difference.
For the new trial, researchers randomly assigned study volunteers at risk of heart disease to a Mediterranean or standard low-fat diet for five years, allowing the team to single out the effect of diet, in particular.
Across Spain assigned almost 7,500 older adults with diabetes or other heart risks to one of three groups.
Two groups were instructed to eat a Mediterranean diet - one supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil and the other with nuts, both donated for the study - with help from personalized advice and group meetings. The third study group ate a "control" diet, which emphasized low-fat dairy products, grains and fruits and vegetables.
Over the next five years, 288 study participants had a heart attack or stroke or died of any type of cardiovascular disease.
People on both Mediterranean diets were 28 to 30 percent less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those on the general low-fat diet.
NOT DUE TO SINGLE INGREDIENT
It's the blend of Mediterranean diet components - not one particular ingredient - that promotes heart health,
"The quality of fat in the Mediterranean diet is very good," he told Reuters Health. "This good source of calories is replacing other bad sources of calories.
"Things that are discouraged are refined breads and sweets, sodas and red meats and processed meats," "The combination of more of the good things and less of the bad things is important."
Replacing a high-carbohydrate or high-saturated fat snack with a handful of nuts is also a helpful change.
"All of these steps are making, at the end of the day, a big difference.
Fung pointed out many people in the new trial were already on medications, such as statins and diabetes drugs.
That's likely the case for people without heart risks - including high blood pressure or cholesterol.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)