Mediterranean Diet' Cuts Heart Attack, Cancer Risk

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Mediterranean Diet' Cuts Heart Attack, Cancer Risk --

Wednesday, June 25, 5:36 PM ET

 

BOSTON (Reuters) - A study of more than 22,000 Greeks provided further

evidence on Wednesday that the " Mediterranean diet " rich in cheese, nuts and

olive oil can protect against heart disease and cancer. The study found that

people who ate a Mediterranean-style diet had a 33 percent reduction in the

risk of death from heart disease and a cancer death rate that was 24 percent

lower compared to volunteers who ate other foods. The diet, which varies

from country to country, often includes monthly servings of meat and weekly

meals of poultry, eggs and sweets. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes,

unrefined cereals, olive oil, cheese and yogurt are eaten most days, as is

fish. Wine is consumed in moderation. Although olive oil is widely credited

with many of the benefits of the diet, the research team, led by Antonia

Trichopoulou of the University of Athens Medical School, found that no

specific food in the diet appeared to be responsible for the improvement in

health. " Individual components may have small effects that emerge only when

the components are integrated into a simple, unidimensional score, " the

researchers said. In an editorial in Thursday's New England Journal of

Medicine, in which the study was published, Frank Hu of Brigham and Women's

Hospital in Boston said specific nutrients or foods in the diet may somehow

interact to reduce the risks of cancer and heart disease.