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Health Advantages of Mediterranean Diets

Although the cases of heart disease in the United States were staggering during the early 1960s, heart disease rates from people in Greece were some of the lowest in the world.
But what was most remarkable about this fact was that they were enjoying this excellent health, although their diet contained nearly 40% of its calories of fat. In addition, they had one or two glasses of wine with their meal.

Scientists discovered while searching along the Mediterranean Sea that not only the Greece people enjoyed a long life, but also neighboring countries, like France, Italy and Spain.

Christopher Gardner, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention research Center in Stanford, California stated:
“For one thing, the traditional Mediterranean diet includes a lot of
vegetables and legumes, along with fruits, fresh whole-grain breads, dates and nuts.
Meats like lamb and chicken were consumed sometimes and in small portions, and the main source of fat in their diet is monounsaturated fat from olives and olive oil, rather than the saturated fats from animal food. In addition, physical activity plays a big part in their daily routine”, he adds.

But how healthy is the traditional Mediterranean diet ? you may ask.
In one study, French researchers looked at 600 men who recently had a heart attack. They gave half of the men a traditional Mediterranean diet and half of them a low-fat, low cholesterol diet that was usually advised to people with heart disease to follow. Those who followed the traditional Mediterranean diet had a 70% lower rate off recurring heart problems than those who followed the prudent low-fat diet.

Similar results were found with other studies. After examining the diets and disease rates of people in seven different countries, researchers found that, taking in account the 46% of death rates of middle- aged men in America, only 4% of men on Creta, had similar problems. In fact, the death rate from all causes on Creta during this 15 year study was lower than that of the other countries.

Researchers in 2006 reviewed 35 experimental studies of the Mediterranean diet and found that the diet had a positive effect on cholesterol and insulin resistance. They also found that the diet lowers the risk of metabolic syndrome, heart attack and heart disease. And also the risk of cancer in obese patients who have had a heart attack.

The Fat Factor
Olive oil is the most important factor in the Mediterranean diet.
The total fat intake is 25% to 35% of total calories. Although people in Mediterranean countries eat as much fat as we do (or more), they eat relatively little meat. They eat red meat only a few times a month, but fish and poultry are eaten every week.

As a result they consume only very small amounts of artery-clogging saturated fat. “The big difference comes from limiting saturated fat and replacing it with monounsaturated fat, like olive oil.” Dr. Gardner says. Besides the fact that olive oil is a monounsaturated fat, it also contains antioxidants compounds that help prevent chemical changes in the body that can cause the law-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to stick to the lining of artery walls. Sweet desserts made with sugar and saturated fat are consumed only a few times a week.

Nuts and seeds are the second-most common source of fats in the Mediterranean diet. Nuts contain alpha-linolenic acid, which is converted by the body to the same kind of heart-healthy fats we find in fish (which is also part of the Mediterranean diet). Studies have proved that people who eat the most of these fatty acids are the ones least likely to get heart disease.

The omega-3 fatty acids in fish that people in the Mediterranean countries eat have proved to reduce clotting and inflammation of the arteries, which decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Following reports from the American Heart Association, clinical trials have shown that cases of cardiovascular disease decreases, when people consume omega-3 fatty acids, especially when it comes
from fish and plant foods, rather than from supplements.

Physical Activity
People in Mediterranean countries also take plenty of exercise, in the form of walking, hard physical labor, and stay active in general. They usually keep their weight under control, although they take in a lot of calories.

Five-a-Day Protection
The people at the American Heart Association would be happy if they could get us to eat the five servings of fruits and vegetables that people in the Mediterranean countries eat every day.
The Mediterranean diet prefers seasonally fresh and locally grown fruits and vegetables rather than highly processed foods that don’t contain as many micro nutrients and antioxidants.
Studies have shown that people who eat the most fruit and vegetables have lower rates of heat disease.

Also, fruits, vegetables and beans, which are a part of the Mediterranean diet, are one of the best sources of folate, a B vitamin that plays a big part in the prevention of heart disease.
Folate helps decrease the levels of amino acid called homosysteine. There is a link between too much homosysteine and heart disease. According to research, healthy people with high levels of homosysteine increase their change of getting heart disease about 14 times.

High Fiber
To add to all this is the fact that the Mediterranean diet is very high in fiber.High-fiber foods not only assist you by keeping your weight down by making you feel full without to much fat and calories, they also help
by blocking the absorption of certain fats and cholesterol. In other words, some of these harmful substances are flushed away before they can reach the bloodstream.
The powerful effects of fiber are shown by a study of almost 44,000 men, aged between 40 and 75 years, who added only 10 grams of fiber a day to their diet and lowered their risk of heart disease by almost 30%.

A Healthy Drink
The fact that wine, and especially red wine, is also included in the typical Mediterranean diet, also contribute to a healthy heart. Wine contains compounds, called phenols, that help prevent LDL cholesterol from sticking to artery walls It also keeps platelets in blood from sticking together and causing clots.
“In moderation, wine can be a nice addition to a healthy diet,’ says Robert M. Russell, MD, director and senior scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in
Boston.

Final Thoughts
Although the Mediterranean diet is most renowned for the fact that it helps to keep your heart healthy, it also appears to lower the risks of other health threats, like breast- and colon cancer. Studies showed
that compared with women elsewhere in the world, women in Mediterranean countries have less than half the risk of getting breast cancer. The reason for this could be the low intake of saturated fat and high intake of monounsaturated fat in fruits and vegetables.

“The message here is simple,” says Dr. Gardner, “For optimal health, choose a plant-based diet, which is naturally rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.”

The Mediterranean Diet – A Model for Good Health

When the heart disease rate in the United States was skyrocketing during the early 1960s, people in Greece had some of the lowest heart disease rates in the world. But the most remarkable fact about this is that they were enjoying this robust good health even though their diet racked up nearly 40% of its calories from fat plus they generally washed down their meals with a glass or two of wine.

Scientist searched the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and they discovered that it was not only the Greece people who were living longer but also in neighboring nations like France, Italy and Spain. Clearly, these folks were onto something, but what?

Here is what Christopher Gardner, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention research Center in Stanford, California has to say about it:
“For one thing, the traditional Mediterranean diet includes a lot of vegetables and legumes, along with fruits,
fresh whole-grain breads, dates, and nuts. Meats like lamb and chicken are consumed infrequently and in small portions,
and the main source of fat in the diet is monounsaturated fat from olives and olive oil, rather than the saturated fat
from animal foods.
In addition, physical activity is a big part of their daily routine”, he adds.

But just how healthy is the traditional Mediterranean diet? In one study French researchers looked at 600 men
who recently had a heart attack.
They put half of the men on a traditional Mediterranean diet and half of them on a low-fat, low cholesterol diet
that people with heart disease are typically told to follow. Those who followed the traditional Mediterranean diet
had a 70% lower rate of recurrent heart problems than those following the prudent low-fat diet.

Other studies showed similar results. When researchers examined the diets and disease rates of people
in seven different countries, they found that, while heart disease accounts for 46% of deaths of middle-aged men
in America, only 4% of men on Creta, an island in the Mediterranean Sea,had similar problems.
In fact, the death rate from all causes in Creta during this 15 year study was lower than that of the other countries

In 2006, researchers reviewed 35 experimental studies of the Mediterranean diet and found that the diet had
a positive effect on cholesterol and insulin resistance. Researchers also found that the diet also lowers
the risk of metabolic syndrome, heart attack and heart disease, and the risk of cancer
in obese patients and patients who have had a heart attack.

One study found that, in addition to the health benefits. people find it easier
to stick to a Mediterranean diet compared with a low fat diet.
A group of 772 older adults in Spain who had diabetes or three or more
risk factors for heart disease were assigned to one of three groups.
Two groups followed a Mediterranean diet, and the third followed a low-
fat diet. In addition to the Mediterranean diet contributing to lower blood
pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels after three months, it also made
it easier for the study participants to maintain the diet, researchers say.

The Fat Factor
The most important factor in the Mediterranean diet is that it uses fat
from olive oil, with total fat intake of 25 to 35 percent of total calories.
Even though people in Mediterranean countries eat as much fat as we do
(or more), they eat relatively little meat. Red meat is eaten only a few times
a month, while fish and poultry are eaten every week.

This means that they consume only minuscule amounts of artery-clogging
saturated fat. “The big difference comes from limiting saturated fat and
replacing it with monounsaturated fat, like olive oil,” Dr Gardner says.
Besides olive oil being a monounsaturated fat, it also contains antioxidant
compounds that help prevent chemical changes in the body that can cause
the dangerous low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to stick to the
lining of artery walls.
Sweet desserts made with sugar and saturated fat are consumed no more
than few times a week.

The second-most common source of fats in the Mediterranean diet is nuts
and seeds. Nuts contain alpha-linolenic acid, which the body converts to
the same kind of heart-healthy fats we find in fish ( which is also part of
the Mediterranean diet). Studies have proved that people who eat the most
of these fatty-acids are the ones least likely to get heart disease.

The fish that people in the Mediterranean eat contains omega-3 fatty acids,
which have been shown to reduce clotting and inflammation in the arteries,
and thus significantly reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The American Heart Association reports that epidemiological and clinical
trials have shown that cardiovascular disease incidence decreases when
people consume omega-3 fatty acids, especially when it comes from fish
and plant foods as apposed to supplements.

Physical activity
People in Mediterranean countries also take plenty of exercise, in the form
of walking, hard physical labor, and generally stay active.
So even though they take a lot of calories from fat, they’re usually able to
keep their weight under control.

Five-a-Day Protection

The folks at the American Heart Association would be delighted if they
could get us to eat the five servings (or more) of fruits and vegetables
that people in the Mediterranean region eat every day.
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes seasonally fresh and locally grown
fruits and vegetables over highly processed foods that don’t contain
as many micro nutrients and antioxidants.
Studies have shown that people who eat the most fruit and vegetables
have fewer problems with heart disease. Presumably this is due to the
antioxidant vitamins and healing compounds in these foods.

In addition, fruits, vegetables and beans, which are another Mediterranean
staple, are among the best sources of folate, a B vitamin that may work
hard in the fight against heart disease, says D. Gardner.
Folate helps decrease levels of an amino acid called homosysteine.
There is a link between too much homosysteine and heart disease.
Research has shown that healthy people who have high levels of
homosysteine have about 14 times more change of having heart disease

High Fiber
On top of all that, the Mediterranean diet is extremely high in fiber.
High-fiber foods not only help to keep your weight down by filling you up
without a lot of fat and calories, they also help block the absorption of
certain fats and cholesterol. This means that some of these harmful
substances are flushed away before they can make it into the bloodstream.
How powerful the effects of fiber are shows a study of nearly 44,000 men,
aged between 40 and 75, who added just 10 grams of fiber a day to their
diet decreased their risk of heart disease by almost 30 percent.

A Drink for Good Health

Another factor that contribute to a healthy heart is the fact that wine,
and especially red wine, is also included in a typical Mediterranean diet.
Whine contains compounds called phenols that help prevent LDL
cholesterol from sticking to artery walls. It also keeps platelets in blood
from sticking together and causing clots. “In moderation, wine can be
a nice addition to a healthy diet,” says Robert M. Russell, MD, director
and senior scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.

Final Thoughts

Although the Mediterranean diet is most renowned for its role in helping
to keep the heart healthy, it also appears to reduce the risks of other
health threats, among them cancer of the breast and colon.
Studies show that compared with women elsewhere in the world, women
in some Mediterranean countries half half the risk (or less) of getting breast
cancer. This could be due to their low intake of saturated fat and high intake
of monounsaturated fats, fruits and vegetables.

Indeed, Italian researchers have found that people in the Mediterranean region
who follow the traditional diet – that is, those who eat lots of fruits and
vegetables and not much fat and protein – are less likely to get cancer than
those who eat more modern, less-healthful diets.

“The message here is simple,” says Dr. Gardner. “For optimal health,
choose a plant-based diet, which is naturally high in vitamins, minerals, fiber,
and antioxidants, and low in fat, cholesterol, and sodium.”