Mediterranean Diet Scores Again for Heart Health

WEDNESDAY, June 13, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Eating a Mediterranean food plan wealthy in healthy fat from olive oil and nuts gives higher safety in opposition to coronary heart assault and stroke than a low-fat food plan, a brand new Spanish trial has proven.

“Extensive research has found a significant benefit of eating a Mediterranean diet, and separate research has shown a significant benefit to the consumption of nuts, particularly walnuts, which was the majority of the nuts in this study,” stated Dr. Rachel Bond. She is affiliate director of Women’s Heart Health at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

“This study combines those two factors and shows that, in combination, this dietary modification has a significant benefit to cardiovascular health,” Bond continued. “These new results provide further evidence for physicians to educate their patients about how beneficial dietary modification can be in terms of their heart health.”

In the medical trial, led by Dr. Miguel Angel Martinez-Gonzalez, from the Instituto de Salud in Spain, practically 7,450 individuals at excessive danger of coronary heart illness had been assigned to certainly one of three diets — a Mediterranean food plan supplemented both with extra-virgin olive oil or with blended nuts, or a “control” food plan targeted on decreasing fats consumption.

Participants had been then tracked for about 5 years to see whether or not the Mediterranean food plan helped defend their coronary heart health.

A Mediterranean food plan focuses on changing saturated fat from butter and fatty cuts of meat with healthy unsaturated fat from sources like olive oil, nuts and fatty fish.

About 3.8 % of individuals within the olive oil group and 3.4 % of individuals within the nuts group skilled a stroke or coronary heart assault throughout the follow-up interval, in contrast with 4.4 % of individuals on a low-fat food plan, the investigators discovered.

Analysis revealed that the Mediterranean food plan with olive oil lowered danger of a stroke or coronary heart assault by 31 %, and the food plan with nuts lowered danger by 28 %, the research authors stated.

Colleen Chiariello is chief medical dietitian with Northwell Health’s Syosset Hospital in Syosset, N.Y. She stated, “The researchers concluded that following a Mediterranean diet with supplemental olive oil or nuts has beneficial effects, especially for high-risk patients trying to prevent cardiovascular events.”

And Dr. Robert Eckel, director of the Lipid Clinic on the University of Colorado Hospital, in Denver, stated that the Mediterranean food plan has lengthy been acknowledged as a heart-healthy food plan by the American Heart Association.

But Eckel is not positive this research provides a lot to the already sturdy proof supporting this food plan. That’s as a result of the low-fat food plan management group had been requested to eat lower than 30 % of their every day energy in fats, which is “not beneficial,” he stated.

“The control group was on a low-fat diet that is not anything consistent with current dietary recommendations,” Eckel famous.

In addition, a Washington, D.C.-based nutritionist, Rebecca Scritchfield, identified that the medical trial occurred in Spain, and there are essential life-style variations between that extra laid-back nation and the United States.

“If you’re a male in America literally working yourself to death, no amount of salmon or nuts or olive oil is going to save you,” stated Scritchfield, the creator of Body Kindness.

The Mediterranean food plan works to guard coronary heart health primarily as a result of it replaces saturated fats with unsaturated fats, Eckel and Scritchfield defined. People nonetheless really feel the fullness related to fats, however aren’t vulnerable to having their arteries clogged.

Scritchfield can also be involved about whether or not poorer individuals can afford to be on the Mediterranean food plan, which includes a number of healthy complete meals.

“Eating does need to be affordable,” she stated. “We could be leaving out a group of people if it’s an expensive way to eat, because they wouldn’t be able to afford the food.”

The new report was revealed on-line June 13 within the New England Journal of Medicine.

More info

The American Academy of Family Physicians has extra concerning the Mediterranean diet.