Both groups had a 1/3 lower risk of suffering from heart attacks or strokes...

I know that we go on about it a bit at Ukmedix News but we keep on finding more research to show that a healthy Mediterranean diet can work wonders for your health and keep you fit in old age. People who eat a sensible Mediterranean diet over number of years have been seen to have stronger hearts and lower rates of obesity.

The latest research that was announced at a conference held by the American College of Cardiology showed that men and women who followed either a very low fat diet or a Mediterranean diet that is high in omega three fatty acids had the same level of risk of suffering from either a cardio attack or stroke. Both these groups had a 1/3 lower risk of suffering from heart attacks or strokes. Olive oil and other fats that are deemed to be beneficial do not seem to have a detrimental effect on the heart or cause obesity.

There seems to be no difference between whether you eat a very low fat diet or whether you eat a diet that contains moderate amounts of healthy fat such as olive oil. It is essential when following a Mediterranean diet that you stick to natural fats that are found in things like avocados and fish such as tuna and salmon. When you are eating a Mediterranean diet it is recommended that you eat fish at minimum three times a week and that you have a high intake of fruit and vegetables.

The leader of the research Dr. Katherine Tuttle said that both a lower fat diet and a Mediterranean diet are sensible choices especially for people who are at a high likelyhood of suffering from heart disease. The research was done at the Providence Medical Research Centre and Sacred Heart Medical Centre based in Washington DC. 

Over 200 people were studied and placed into different groups and told to eat different diets. 50 people were asked to follow a low fat diet and 50 people were put on the Mediterranean diet. One hundred people were asked to follow a normal American diet which is higher in fat. The research continued for just over two years and all of the people involved had a high risk of heart disease. The men and women who followed the Mediterranean diet or the low fat diet had an 83% chance of having no heart problems over the two year period whereas for those on the normal American diet the figure was 53%.