Eat to Live: Mediterranean Diet Is Good for Your Heart

Eating healthy is the key to staying healthy and recovering your health. The Mediterranean-type diets—high in vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, whole grains, cheese or yogurt and fish—are increasingly getting good press for being good for your heart. Several studies have proven the diet’s benefit in preventing and curbing heart disease, including research released today in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

The study, conducted out of Indiana University in Bloomington, examined 276 sets of predominantly Caucasian middle-aged twin males—both identical and fraternal. (The use of twins helps to eliminate the genetic risk factors commonly linked to heart disease.) Starting with the standardized Willett Food Frequency Questionnaire, researchers evaluated the diet, energy intake, genetic and environmental factors of the participants. Those who followed a Mediterranean diet most closely showed the widest range of heart rate variability (HRV), a tell tale sign of good heart health. This type of diet resulted in a 9 to 14 percent decreased risk of cardiovascular-related death.

“Our study demonstrates for the first time a positive association between the Mediterranean dietary pattern and heart rate variability” and suggests “that autonomic tone may be one of mechanisms linking the Mediterranean diet to a lower rate of CV events,” the researchers concluded.

In addition to being heart healthy, the Mediterranean diet has also been shown to lessen the risk of cancer and depression, and ward off cognitive problems associated with aging. For those with newly diagnosed cases of Type II diabetes, this diet may help to delay or even eliminate the need for prescribed medication.

Eating healthy is the key to staying healthy. Visit the Health News diet pages to arm yourself with the knowledge you need to start eating and living healthy. Begin you journey here.