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Evidence of CV benefits of Mediterranean diet growing
After the holidays, often as part of a New Year’s resolution, it is common for people to think about changing to a healthier diet. One option is the Mediterranean diet, which was recently named by U.S. News & World Report as the top overall diet, the best diet for healthy eating, the best plant-based diet, the best diet for diabetes and the easiest diet to follow.
Much evidence emerged in 2018 regarding the CV benefits of the Mediterranean diet. Below are some of those findings covered by Cardiology Today.
Mediterranean diet decreases risk for CVD events in women
Women with a greater Mediterranean diet eating pattern had decreased risk for CVD events compared with those less adherent to the Mediterranean diet, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.
Mediterranean diet reduces CV events in high-risk patients
Patients with high CV risk who adhered to a Mediterranean diet that was supplemented with nuts or extra-virgin olive oil had fewer major CV events compared with those who adhered to a reduced fat diet, according to the PREDIMED study.
Mediterranean diet may reduce stroke risk in women
Adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet may help to reduce stroke risk in adults at high risk for CVD, especially women older than 40 years, according to a study published in Stroke.
Proper nutrition can change course of CHD, other diseases
BOSTON — Nutrition is a powerful source of cardioprotective intervention and physicians must be better about incorporating nutritional education into their treatment plans, according to a presentation at the Cardiometabolic Health Congress.
Diet intervention has been shown to reduce risk for cardiometabolic death, with multiple studies indicating that a Mediterranean diet (more fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts, olive oil and whole grains) can drastically improve cardiometabolic health, according to Stephen Devries, MD, FACC, executive director of the Gaples Institute for Integrative Cardiology and associate professor at Northwestern University School of Medicine.
Mediterranean diet increases life span
The Mediterranean diet was linked to prolonged survival in two different studies spanning multiple age groups, according to findings published in the British Journal of Nutrition.