Following a Mediterranean diet
with extra nuts or olive oil is significantly
better for heart health than a low-fat diet,
according to a “landmark” clinical
trial from Spain reported by www.foodnavigator-usa.com.
“The results to date make us believe,
long term, that the Mediterranean diet enriched
with walnuts or olive oil will indeed reduce
heart disease. The size, duration and clinical
basis of this study make it landmark,”
said researcher Emilio Ros of the Hospital Clinic
of Barcelona.
He added that the previous results on Med
diets and heart health were merely “scattered
pieces of evidence from prospective studies.”
The PREDIMED study, results of which are in
the Annals of Internal Medicine, recruited 772
adults at high risk of cardiovascular disease
(CVD), and divided the volunteers into three
groups. One group (257 subjects) was assigned
to a low-fat diet and the other two groups to
a Mediterranean diet.
One Med diet group was given additional free
virgin olive oil (one litre per week). The second
Med diet group was given additional nuts (30
grams per day).
Measurements and outcome changes were evaluated
every three months. Almost 100 per cent of the
participants completed the four-year trial.
Compared to the low-fat diet subjects, those
on the two Mediterranean diets experienced significant
benefits in terms of lower plasma glucose levels,
systolic blood pressure and ratio of total cholesterol
to HDL cholesterol.
“We expect it (Mediterranean diet supplement
with olive oil or walnuts) to reduce the rate
of heart attacks and strokes and other cardiovascular
diseases by 50 per cent,” the lead researcher
said.
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