Mediterranean diet reduces heart disease by one third
A far ranging study of the diets of 40,000 Melbournians has shown that those with a mainly Mediterranean diet had a 30% lower chance of dying from heart disease.
Although admitting there was no single Mediterranean diet, Monash University researcher, Linton Harris, said that the generalised food pattern was high in a variety of fruit and vegetables, moderately high in fish and wine, and low in animal products.
The staples included garlic, cucumber, olive oil, salad greens, capsicum, legumes, tomato, fetta and ricotta cheeses, olives, onions, watermelon, steamed fish, and boiled chicken.
Linton Harris said that the Monash research went further than past research findings in establishing that the effective diet had a positive influence on all types of heart disease including valve problems, heart failure, and stroke.
The decade-long study, with a quarter of the 40 to 69 year olds involved being Greek or Italian migrants, included researchers from Monash, the Cancer Council of Victoria, the University of Melbourne, Cambridge University, and St.Vincent’s Hospital.
