Study Shows Med Diet Better for The Heart Than Statins

Study Shows Med Diet Better for The Heart Than Statins

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 

It’s been shown by a new study that people who eat the Mediterranean diet are able to protect their heart better than people taking certain blood pressure correction and heart-protection medications.

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!

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.

It’s Official: Med Property Prices are Rising Faster than Spanish Average

It’s Official: Med Property Prices are Rising Faster than Spanish Average

The Mediterranean property prices in Spain have risen by an average of 4.4% over the past year. This is higher than the average for the nation overall.

An analysis of Spain’s property market performed by Tinsa, a real estate appraisal firm, has discovered that the value of homes in and around the Mediterranean resorts was rising faster than the average for the rest of the country.

Buying property in Costa del Sol is clearly on the up.

During the first quarter of the year property prices increased by around 4.4% on average in the Mediterranean when compared to the same period of time from last year.

This is over double the national average for the rest of the country. On average property prices have risen by 1.9%. In the more metropolitan regions there has actually been negligible change over the past year. The price trend is usually quite positive though. Prices seem to be rising month by month. They rose 0.8% between March and April after a rise of 2.1% between February and March.

Property prices on the Mediterranean also increased by 2.7% during the first quarter of 2016, compared to the last quarter of 2015. This is further evidence that the Spanish property market is stabilising while keeping property prices affordable.

The data from Tinsa also compared the property prices of today to the peak from 2007 and showed that property on the Costa del Sol is around 46% cheaper on average now compared to 2007. This represents an incredible “correction” of the market and is the most that prices of fallen over this period of time in any region.

As properties in the Costa del Sol are currently valued at higher than the national average this data would also seem to confirm suggestions that many of the properties on the market during the boom of 2007 were overpriced to some degree.

The market is far more sensible today, especially on the Costa del Sol. All of the things that made the area so appealing in the first place, such as the variety of properties for sale, the excellent infrastructure and location of the region, the climate, the healthy amount of expat-friendly locals with their rich culture, and the overall landscape of the area, are still there. Only this time the property is priced fairer and much steadier.

Any Brit looking to find an affordable property in Spain should take a look at the southern tip of the country to the areas with more affordable property prices. Take a look at areas such as Marbella and Málaga and see how property should be fairly priced.