A study published in the prestigious “The New England Journal of Medicine”, a publication of the Massachusetts Medical Society, and carried out by Spanish researchers from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, concludes that the Mediterranean diet prevents cardiovascular accidents. The study, which has received wide coverage in the gastronomy supplements of American newspapers, includes, along with a combination of foods, the intake of virgin olive oil and the weekly consumption of seven glasses of wine to accompany meals.
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A total of 747 people between 55 and 80 years of age, 57% of whom were women, participated in the sample between October 2003 and 2009. This group completed a total of 4.8 years, while the total number of participants in the period was 7,400.
The participants were divided into three groups according to the dietary program they were to follow, the first group a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil, the second a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts and dried fruits, and the third a low-fat diet.
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The main conclusions of the study are:
The causal role of the Mediterranean diet in the prevention of cardiovascular accidents is, from a biological point of view, highly plausible.
The research results partly explain the low rate of fatal cardiovascular accidents in the Mediterranean area compared to northern Europe and the United States.
The risk of cardiovascular accidents in general and stroke in particular, was significantly reduced in the two groups that underwent the Mediterranean diet both in extra virgin olive oil and in nuts and dried fruits.
This study, therefore, coincides with epidemiological studies that demonstrate an inverse association between the Mediterranean diet with olive oil and cardiovascular accidents.
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Recommended Mediterranean Diet
Food
Olive Oil …………………………. 50-100g /day
Nuts and peanuts ………. 30g, 3 times/week
Fresh fruit ………………………………. 3 pieces /day
Vegetables ………………………………….. 2 times /day
Fish and seafood ………………….. 3 times /week
Legumes ……………………………….. 3 times /week
Sofritos ……………………………………… 2 times /week
White meat ……………………………. 2 times /week
Wine with meals ……………….. 7 glasses /week
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Not recommended
Carbonated beverages
Commercial bakery, sweets and cakes
Red meat
Although no study is necessary to know that good wine is healthy as well as a magnificent experience, it is always good for researchers to certify it.
