Mediterranean diet and heart health: What you should know

With more weight-loss and general health diets available to the public than ever before, it may be difficult for clinicians and patients to distinguish the tried-and-true from the merely trendy. However, the Mediterranean diet appears to have set itself apart, based on recent data that have amassed regarding its many health benefits.

Some research has indicated that the Mediterranean diet may have value in reducing the risk for a wide range of conditions, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. In particular, this diet has been the center of many discussions about its CV benefits.

According to the American Heart Association, use of the phrase “Mediterranean diet” does not refer to one specific diet, but rather a common dietary pattern in the 16 countries that border the Mediterranean Sea that is focused on the following:

high consumption of fruits, vegetables, bread and cereals, beans, nuts and seeds, and potatoes;
olive oil, as an important source of monounsaturated fat;
low to moderate consumption of dairy, fish and poultry;
low consumption of red meat;
low to moderate consumption of wine; and
eggs zero to four times per week.

People who adhere to the average Mediterranean diet consume less saturated fat than people who follow a typical Western diet. Monounsaturated fats account for more than half the fat calories in a Mediterranean diet, according to the AHA.

“There are a lot of benefits of a Mediterranean diet, but the one thing it is really known for is cardiac health,” Saba Sassouni, registered dietitian at ZoneManhattan.com, said in an interview. “Because of the high content of vegetable and olive oil and fiber, the diet can decrease LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol.” Sassouni also noted that the diet is less focused on animal proteins and carbohydrate reduction than many other diets; instead, it emphasizes carbohydrates derived from whole, minimally processed “ancient” grains such as buckwheat, millet, bulgur, barley and oats.

Data have shown that the incidence of CVDs and death rates in Mediterranean countries is lower than the incidence in the United States. The AHA notes that this may not be entirely attributable to a Mediterranean diet; other lifestyle factors also may play a role.

Results of recent studies have demonstrated that people who followed a Mediterranean diet had a decreased risk for CV events, peripheral artery disease, stroke, and left ventricular and vascular parameters in men with erectile dysfunction, with or without attendant weight loss.

“Before advising people to follow a Mediterranean diet, we need more studies to find out whether the diet itself or other lifestyle factors account for the lower deaths from heart disease,” the AHA states on its Nutrition Center.

Additional information may be found at:

American Heart Association. Mediterranean Diet. heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/Mediterranean-Diet_UCM_306004_Article.jsp.

Disclosure: Sassouni is an employee of ZoneManhattan.com.