Mediterranean Diet May Ward Off Heart Disease

There's nothing like a beach, a Mediterranean beach, to increase one's life quality. Reading the results of a study on the merits of following the Mediterranean Diet, with or without the beach, suggests it can help reduce heart disease and stroke by as much as 30% in some individuals.

According to the New York Times, "Until now, evidence that the Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of heart disease was weak, based mostly on studies showing that people from Mediterranean countries seemed to have lower rates of heart disease — a pattern that could have been attributed to factors other than diet." They also drank a fair amount of red wine every day, which could also lower blood pressure.

"Risk factors like cholesterol or hypertension or weight" are the key risks to control, yet in this study, "heart attacks and strokes and death" were examined, not cholesterol or blood pressure numbers. People truly following the Mediterranean Diet reduced their heart attack and stroke risk by 30%. How you ask? Details of the diet followed for this study are here.

Grab a glass a red, pony up to the table and dig into the antipasto tray, but skip the cured meats. Olive oil, salmon, anchovies, kalamato olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, apricots, berries, kale, whole grains and peppers are just a 
few of the best items on the list. All Recipes offers Mediterranean Diet meal ideas and recipes to follow including complete menu plans.

The researchers following the participants in the study were so convinced the Mediterranean Diet lowered heart disease risk, they now follow it.  And we should, too.