October 6, 2014
by Case Adams, Naturopath
(GreenMedInfo.com) An accumulation of research data is continuing to conclude that the Mediterranean diet is a significantly heart-healthy diet, and can not only reduce the risk of heart disease, but those factors that contribute to heart disease and metabolic syndrome.
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Mediterranean Diet and Atrial Fibrillation
Researchers from Spain’s University of Navarra and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – along with others – have determined that a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil significantly decreases the risk of atrial fibrillation.
The researchers followed 6,704 people for nearly five years. A third of them ate a Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts, a third ate a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil, and a third ate a low-fat diet.
The researchers found that the Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil reduced the risk of atrial fibrillation by 38% over the low-fat diet group.
The group that ate the Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts experienced an over 10% decreased risk of atrial fibrillation over the low-fat diet group.
What is Atrial Fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart beat, which has been linked with increased risk of stroke, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure and other heart conditions. Symptoms of A-fib can range from palpitations to pain near the heart region to no symptoms at all.
Yes, many A-fib sufferers have no symptoms, and yet still may have a higher risk of heart failure, stroke and other heart conditions.
The fact that eating a diet rich in plant-based foods including olive oil can reduce the risk of A-fib confirms that A-fib is not just a genetic disorder: It can certainly be prevented – or at least reduced in its risk of producing heart problems.
Mediterranean Diet Also Reduces Many Other Heart Disease Related Conditions
There have been numerous studies over the past 20 years showing that the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart disease. This body of research has been added to by another recent study showing the Mediterranean diet reduces blood pressure.
In this study, 235 people were followed for a year with one of the three diets mentioned above. This study found that both Mediterranean diets reduced blood pressure, while the Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil reduced systolic blood pressure by an average of 2.3 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 2.6 mmHg after one year.
This study confirms another on 772 elderly patients, which found the Mediterranean diet reduced blood pressure (ranging from 6 to 7 mmHg) along with lower C-reactive protein levels (by an average of .54 mg/L).
Many other studies have confirmed similar findings, and a 2013 Cochrane review of 11 qualified studies that included 52,044 people found the Med diet reduced cardiovascular disease risks, including lowering LDL-cholesterol and reducing blood pressure compared to control groups.
Med Diet Also Trumps Western Diet
