A rich in olive oil and nuts Mediterranean diet lowered the risk of developing cardiovascular events amongst individuals who were already at an increased risk for those same events, said researchers.
The study was performed in Spain and was randomized. The study included people already at high risk that ate a Mediterranean diet that had an additional supplement of either olive oil or nuts. Those eating either one of those two diets compared to the control group diet, which was low fat, saw their risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event lowered by nearly 30%.
The researchers said the results of the trial showed that it merited using a Mediterranean diet as a primary prevention for the development of heart disease. However, they were quick to caution that the people in the study already were at a high risk for a cardiovascular event and lived in an area where a Mediterranean diet was eaten regularly. Therefore, it might not be completely clear whether the results would be the same for others.
Researchers assigned more than 7,400 people, who were 55 to 80 years of age, one of three specific diets. A diet that was Mediterranean with extra nuts, one that was Mediterranean with extra olive oil and one that was low fat, were the three diets used in the study. Following a nearly 5-year follow up, 288 people who participated ended up suffering a major cardiovascular event (stroke, cardiovascular death, heart attack).
The results showed that those people eating the two Mediterranean diets were 28% less apt to suffer a major cardiovascular event than those who had a low fat diet.
