The Mediterranean diet is not new. For years now we’ve been dreaming about getting thin and skirting heart disease while indulging on red wine, fresh fish, al dente pasta in homemade marinara and crusty bread doused in fragrant olive oil… right? (There is some sarcasm here. If it’s lost on you, don’t fret. Read this and read on!)
Well, a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has brought renewed support for that dream, to an extent. In a randomized controlled trial (holding far more clout than typical observational diet studies) of Spaniards at risk for heart disease, two groups followed a Mediterranean diet and were given supplemental olive oil or nuts respectively, while a third (control) group was simply told to eat a low fat diet and given non-food gifts (so they wouldn’t feel left out). The incidence of heart attack, stroke or death from cardiovascular causes was so much lower in the Mediterranean diet groups that they actually stopped the trial after 5 years.
It’s worth noting that this study only compares the Mediterranean diet to a low-fat, high-carb (breads, pastas, etc.) diet, which is often blamed for our country’s epidemic of obesity and heart disease. For more on that view, read this piece from the Huffington Post. Continue reading “5 Foods To Reduce Heart Risk – Mediterranean Style”
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