I really don’t think we need another study proving the health benefits of a Mediterranean-style diet. Not when that time and money could be better spent figuring out how to make it easy and affordable for consumers.
Nonetheless, perhaps the latest findings will convince you to overhaul your eating habits, once and for all—especially if you’re a woman.
Because according to a new study, following this delicious eating pattern can lower your risk of the No. 1 cause of death…
By nearly 25 percent!
Healthy hearts
In a new analysis published in Heart, researchers found that a higher adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet offered significant heart protection for women.
To be exact, it lowered risk of heart disease, the No. 1 cause of death, by 24 percent and overall mortality risk by 23 percent.
Researchers reviewed data from several studies on the Mediterranean diet and focused on benefits to women, specifically.
And they were thrilled to see such positive results, as heart disease is the primary threat to women’s lives globally—and coronary artery disease kills more than twice as many women as breast cancer does in the U.K.
Of course, it’s not clear to me why certain diets may offer greater protection to different sexes. But I see this analysis as yet another way of punting rather than fixing the food delivery system.
Because the one thing we can all agree on—no matter what you think the solution is—a healthy diet is a huge factor in preventing heart disease. And that’s true for women and men.
Isn’t THAT what we should be focusing our efforts on… making a healthy diet readily accessible for a price equivalent to fast food?
Broad benefits
The Mediterranean diet focuses on food sources that offer a vast array of vitamins, polyphenols, carotenoids, and antioxidants. They also carry a uniquely therapeutic fatty acid profile—filled to the brim with monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) from sources like olive oil, avocados, and macadamia nuts.
These healthy components help reduce inflammation, rather than promote it (as processed, packaged foods do)—and therefore, lessen cardiovascular risk factors.
After all, chronic inflammation damages artery walls… and a whole lot more.
In fact, the benefits don’t stop there. Other studies show how the Mediterranean diet can slash diabetes risk, keep your cognition sharp, and much more.
Yet—and I don’t usually quote many people—in order to see how entrenched the stupidity on the subject goes, read what a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Center for Lipid Metabolomics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (the crème de la crème) had to say…
“It was striking to see how strong the long-term cardioprotective properties of a Mediterranean-type dietary pattern were.”
Hmm… why was it “striking?” Until the attitudes of the decision makers in our country can be brought up to modern thinking, dare I say that America is DOOMED to be unhealthy and overweight…
So, here’s my advice: Overhaul your eating patterns. Focus on lean protein (including wild-caught fish and seafood), ample quantities of vegetables and some fruit, and healthful fats (including nuts).
For more personalized guidance, order yourself a copy of my very own, A-List Diet book.
P.S. For additional ways to keep your heart in tip-top shape—and to help ward off the No. 1 cause of death worldwide—check out my Ultimate Heart-Protection Protocol. Click here to learn more about this innovative, online learning tool!
Source:
“Mediterranean diet may lower heart disease risk in women by nearly 25%, study finds.” CNN.com, 03/14/2023. (.com/2023/03/14/health/mediterranean-diet-women-heart-wellness/index.html)