Study Shows Med Diet Better for The Heart Than Statins
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Spain is one of the healthiest places in the world to live
with 320 days of sunshine and its wonderful
Mediterranean diet, which helps you live longer
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The Mediterranean diet is the kind of diet that you find in countries like Spain, Italy and Greece. This Med diet involves plenty of olive
oil, fresh fruit and v
eg, and fish. Don’t worry though; you don’t need to eat this diet in a bodega to get the benefits!
eg, and fish. Don’t worry though; you don’t need to eat this diet in a bodega to get the benefits!
While there might be some health benefits to this socially
inclusive way of eating the study from the IRCCS Nuromed Institute in Italy was
focused entirely on the foods involved. This study showed that when heart
patients were fed this Med diet their chances of dying an early death was
slashed by a massive 37%, just over twice the 16% cut that heart medicine
provides.
The researchers say that they can’t directly compare the
figures and added many heart patients should combine the effects of both the
Mediterranean diet and heart pills to get the best protection.
Even so the results were bound to draw attention in the
medical world. The research would appear to back up several other studies and
all of the anecdotal evidence that shows the health benefits of eating the
traditional Mediterranean diet.
When people eat plenty of olive oil, fruits, vegetables and fish they ingest less fat and more beneficial nutrients. This nutritional
balance has been shown to protect against diabetes, heart disease, and even
some forms of cancer because of the anti-inflammatory effects of these foods
and the nutrients they contain.
The study was headed by Professor Giovanni de Gaetano who
went on to say that the Mediterranean diet was more effective than medication.
Professor Gaetano also suggested that the government should begin subsidising
fruits and vegetables and even make some fruit and vegetables freely available
at doctor’s surgeries.
There are seven million adults dealing with heart disease in
the UK alone.
Professor de Gaetano said that the study showed people
eating a Mediterranean diet showed 37% less chance of dying from any cause
compared to people who were eating poor diets. He added that the Mediterranean
diet is accepted as being one of the healthiest diets there is. There have been
several other studies into the Mediterranean diet that have shown how effective
it is at reducing the chances of developing chronic issues and dying from any
cause. Most of this research was focused on the general population though.
These were people who were already healthy. De Gaetano wanted to look into the
effects on people who already suffered from cardiovascular disease and if it
would still be the best option for them.
The research would show that the diet is just as effective,
if not more so, for people who need to control these conditions. Combining the
Mediterranean diet with statin could provide the ultimate two-pronged attack to
control these conditions without the negative side effects of medication such
as muscle pain.
The study was done on 1,200 Italians who were followed for
seven years. These participants all had heart disease and were instructed to
record the foods they ate during this seven year period. How well they adhered
to the Mediterranean diet was scored using a nine-point scoring system and,
after other factors were considered (smoking, weight, gender, and exercise
levels), the study showed that there was an average 21% reduced chance of death
from heart disease with people following the Med diet. This went up to 37% for
the people who strictly followed the diet.
Spain offers many chances for people to follow the Mediterranean diet as the cost of living in Spain is low and most restaurants and supermarkets make all the
ingredients available at affordable prices. When you combine this diet with the
outdoors lifestyle and a healthy climate it’s not hard to understand why the
Spanish life expectancy is higher than most of Europe.
