[Sca-cooks] Mediterranean beats low-fat diet for heart health

Tom Vincent tom.vincent at yahoo.com
Thu Jul 6 12:15:53 PDT 2006


Mediterranean beats low-fat diet for heart health

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Mediterranean-style diets, rich in healthy fats
from olive oil or nuts, may be better for the heart than low-fat
regimens, a new study shows.

Spanish researchers found that the traditional Mediterranean diet
bested a low-fat diet in helping older adults improve their
cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. The findings,
published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, add to evidence that
diets rich in healthy fats offer a better heart prescription than diets
that limit fat altogether.

Mediterranean-style eating generally means plenty of fruits, vegetables
and whole grains, limited amounts of red meat and processed foods, and
a relatively high amount of fat from olive oil and nuts. Studies have
shown that people living in the Mediterranean region have lower rates
of heart disease, despite their high fat intake.

Experts believe the benefit stems from the fact that the unsaturated
fats found in olive oil and nuts actually help protect the
cardiovascular system.

Olive oil is mostly monounsaturated fat, and virgin olive oil -- which
is minimally processed -- retains the fruit's natural antioxidants, as
well as nutrients that may help reduce inflammation in the blood
vessels. Similarly, nuts contain unsaturated fats and other nutrients
thought to be heart-protective.

The researchers, lead by Dr. Ramon Estruch of the University of
Barcelona, Sapin, found that it didn't matter whether study
participants got their healthy fat largely from olive oil or from nuts.
The subjects assigned to either diet group that includes fats tended to
see greater improvements in cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar
than their peers who followed a low-fat diet.

This means the effects of the Mediterranean diet were moving "in the
right direction," Estruch told Reuters. Longer follow-up, he said, is
needed to see whether the benefits translate into fewer heart attacks
and strokes.

The study included 769 men and women between 55 and 80 years old who
had type 2 diabetes or multiple other risk factors for heart disease
and stroke, such as smoking, high blood pressure and heavy body weight.

For three months, participants followed one of three diets: a low-fat
regimen that advised cutting down on all types of dietary fat; a
Mediterranean diet that emphasized virgin olive oil as the prime fat
source; or a Mediterranean diet in which walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds
provided a large amount of overall dietary fat.

By the end of the study, those on either Mediterranean diet showed
small improvements in their "good" HDL cholesterol levels, while the
low-fat group showed an HDL decline -- something that is known to
happen with low-fat diets.

Both Mediterranean diet groups also had an overall improvement in blood
pressure and blood sugar levels, while those of the low-fat group were
essentially unchanged.

Men and women who got most of their fat from olive oil also had a
decline in a blood substance called C-reactive protein, a marker of
chronic inflammation in the body.

The study did not assess whether virgin olive oil or nuts were the
healthier fat source, Estruch said, and it's probably best to include
both for a healthful diet.

Copyright 2006 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
 

  
 
  
 

  
Find this article at: 
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/07/06/mediterranean.diet.reut/index.html
 


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Tom Vincent
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Republican agenda: Crush the middle class into poverty, rape the environment, enrich corporations, restore slavery, install a theocratic dictatorship.  Fight back!



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