Mediterranean diet in cardiovascular diseases
The term Mediterranean diet was coined from a study published in the 1960s by Ancel Keys where he found that countries bathed by the Mediterranean Sea had a lower death rate from cardiovascular diseases than other countries.
This international epidemiological study on diet-cholesterol-coronary heart disease is known as the Seven Countries Study. The results showed that there was a protective factor, in the Mediterranean countries, in the lifestyle that they labeled "Mediterranean way". Its subsequent diffusion assimilated the concept of "Mediterranean style" with that of the MEDITERRANEAN DIET.
The Mediterranean diet is the set of eating habits followed by the inhabitants of the Mediterranean regions characterized by:
- high consumption of complex carbohydrates in the form of pasta, bread
- high consumption of fruits and vegetables
- high consumption of nuts and seeds
- regular consumption of legumes
- predominance of fish consumption over meat
- moderate consumption of animal proteins (many times it is part of a dish as an ingredient)
- use of olive oil as the main culinary fat
- use of garlic, onion, parsley, herbs and seasonings in the kitchen
- moderate consumption of wine with meals
- drinking water with meals instead of soda
Food became the object of study, but especially in relation to the quality of the fat consumed, showing that olive oil has a cardioprotective effect unlike butter or margarine.
Currently the WHO recommends adopting the Mediterranean diet as much as possible as it is synonymous with a healthy diet.
Benefits of the Mediterranean diet
Protects cardiovascular diseases.
The Mediterranean diet is low in saturated fatty acids (meat, butter, whole dairy) and rich in unsaturated fatty acids (fish, seeds, nuts, olive oil), mainly monounsaturated fatty acids (olive oil)
These unsaturated fats are heart-healthy as they prevent the onset of coronary heart disease and heart attacks.
The olive oil
It is one of the pillars of the Mediterranean diet and its use, both for cooking and for dressing dishes, has been shown to have many health benefits.
This oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid) that help lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol or "bad cholesterol". It also helps control blood pressure.
Olive oil also contains antioxidants such as vitamin E, phenolic compounds and carotenoids that reduce fat oxidation, prevent cardiovascular disease and aging.
Fish
It contains a heart-healthy lipid profile unlike meat. These types of fats are polyunsaturated and are called omega 3. These fatty acids are essential, our body does not manufacture them, and must be provided through food. Oily fish (sardines, salmon, tuna, mackerel, horse mackerel, ...) is the richest in this type of fat and has a protective effect on the heart.
They prevent cardiovascular diseases by promoting circulation, increasing or maintaining HDL or "good" cholesterol, reducing LDL or "bad" cholesterol, protecting arteries from injury, reducing triglycerides and regulating blood pressure.
Dried fruits
They are foods with a high fat content, more than 50% of their weight, but this fat is made up mostly of unsaturated or heart-healthy fatty acids. These cardioprotective fats are mainly composed of omega 6 fatty acids, another type of essential fatty acids that our body cannot manufacture. Nuts also provide fiber, vitamins and antioxidants beneficial to health
They are cardioprotective because they reduce total cholesterol and LDL or "bad" cholesterol, it is a vasodilator, it reduces blood pressure, it prevents aging and, in addition, it also has an anti-inflammatory action that improves the symptoms of inflammatory diseases.
Fresh fruits and vegetables
They are foods rich in vitamins and minerals with a powerful antioxidant action. Antioxidants protect the body against diseases such as arteriosclerosis, myocardial infarction and ischemic processes.
Numerous epidemiological studies suggest that populations that consume a diet rich in natural antioxidants have a lower incidence of cardiovascular events.
Whole grains and legumes
They are low-fat and high-fiber foods that prevent the incidence of coronary heart disease by reducing total, LDL or "bad" cholesterol, reduce the formation of blood clots and help regulate blood pressure.
In short, the Mediterranean diet constitutes a balanced and healthy diet since it is made up of a series of foods that contain cardioprotective properties.
(Updated at Apr 14 / 2024)