Best to Eat Like the Greeks After Heart Disease By Alison McCook

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Best to Eat Like the Greeks After Heart Disease

By Alison McCook

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May 11, 2005 10:27 PDT

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Tue Apr 26, 2:03 PM ET

 

 

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with heart disease who stick to a

so-called Mediterranean diet -- heavy on fish and vegetables, and low on

saturated fats -- tend to live longer than those who follow different

diets, new research suggests.

 

Investigators based in Greece and the U.S. found that, among a group of

more than 1,300 men and women diagnosed with heart disease, those who

ate a more Mediterranean diet were nearly 30 percent less likely to die

during follow up, which lasted close to four years.

 

Based on these findings, lead author Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou at Athens

Medical School and Harvard University in Boston told Reuters Health that

she would " absolutely " recommend a Mediterranean diet for everybody

diagnosed with heart disease.

 

A Mediterranean-style diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, grains and

nuts. It includes few saturated fats like the ones in red meat but

plenty of healthier fatty acids like those found in olive oil. It also

features moderate amounts of red wine.

 

Recently, research has shown that following this diet can provide a

range of health benefits, including a lower risk of heart disease,

arthritis, cancer and age-related memory loss.

 

Recently, Trichopoulou and her team observed that following a

Mediterranean-style diet appears to reduce the risk of death among

people free of heart disease.

 

As part of the current study, the researchers followed 1,302 Greek men

and women for nearly four years, noting what they ate. All were

diagnosed with heart disease.

 

The researchers scored how closely people followed the Mediterranean

diet using a 10-point scale, with a higher score indicating a higher

adherence to the diet.

 

Reporting in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the investigators

found that for every 2 point increase in diet scores, the risk of dying

decreased by 27 percent.

 

No one ingredient of the Mediterranean diet appeared to have the biggest

impact on health, the researchers note. This finding suggests that the

Mediterranean-style diet is an " integral entity, " Trichopoulou noted.

" The total is much more than the constituents, " she explained.

 

The Mediterranean diet, Trichopoulou said, likely helps people live

longer with heart disease for the same reason the diet appears to help

prevent heart disease in the first place -- by improving cholesterol and

blood pressure, for instance.

 

" There is also speculation that the traditional Mediterranean foods may

contain unidentified compounds with health promoting potential, " she

added.

 

SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, April 25, 2005.

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html