It has long been acknowledged that what we eat and drink affects our health, but with so many different diets out there it can be hard to know which, if any, to follow.
For people with cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high levels of the unhealthy cholesterols, physical inactivity, use of tobacco and a family history of cardiovascular disease, there is now firmer proof that following a Mediterranean diet lowers their risk of fatal heart attacks and death from all causes.
Recent research published in the British Medical Journal looked at seven structured diets and concluded that “moderate certainty evidence shows that programmes promoting Mediterranean and low fat diets reduce all cause mortality and non-fatal myocardial infarction in patients with increased cardiovascular risk. Mediterranean dietary programmes are also likely to reduce stroke risk”.
The British Heart Foundation has some useful tips on making your diet more Mediterranean (click here) and Heart UK, the country’s cholesterol charity, also has a page on the Mediterranean diet, including some simple food swaps (click here).
Click here to read the full article in the British Medical Journal.