ISLAMABAD, Sep 17 (Online): Researchers say a Mediterranean diet rich in virgin olive oil can be beneficial for people who are at risk for heart disease.<\/p>\n
A Mediterranean diet rich in virgin olive oil may improve the function of \u201cgood\u201d cholesterol in people at risk for heart disease, according to a new study.<\/p>\n
A Mediterranean diet is based on the typical eating habits of people in countries that border the Mediterranean Sea.<\/p>\n
It includes dairy products, fish, and poultry more so than red meat.
\nFruits, vegetables, bread, cereals, potatoes, beans, nuts, seeds, and olive oil also make up a Mediterranean diet, <\/p>\n
HDL cholesterol \u2014 the \u201cgood\u201d cholesterol \u2014 eliminates excess cholesterol from the bloodstream, whereas high levels of LDL, or \u201cbad,\u201d cholesterol and triglycerides, a type of blood fat, increase the risk of heart and blood vessel diseases.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, studies have shown that HDL doesn\u2019t work as well in people at high risk for heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular diseases, and that the functional ability of HDL matters as much as its quantity,\u201d said Dr. Montserrat Fit\u00f3, coordinator of the Cardiovascular Risk and Nutrition Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute in Spain, and at the Ciber of Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the same time, small-scale trials have shown that consuming antioxidant-rich foods like virgin olive oil, tomatoes, and berries improved HDL function in humans,\u201d Fit\u00f3 said.<\/p>\n
What the study showed
\nResearchers randomly assigned 296 people at high risk of cardiovascular disease participating in the PREDIMED (PREvenci\u00f3n con DIeta MEDiterr\u00e1nea) study to one of three diets for a year.<\/p>\n
Those diets were a traditional Mediterranean diet enriched with virgin olive oil (about 4 tablespoons per day); a traditional Mediterranean diet enriched with extra nuts (about a fistful per day); and a healthy control diet that reduced consumption of red meat, processed food, high-fat dairy products, and sweets.<\/p>\n
Only the control diet reduced total and LDL cholesterol levels. None of the diets increased HDL levels significantly.<\/p>\n
But the Mediterranean diet rich in virgin olive oil improved key HDL functions, including helping the body remove excess cholesterol from arteries, serving as an antioxidant, and keeping blood vessels open \u2014 all of which reduce cardiovascular risk.<\/p>\n
The results among the three groups were relatively similar because the modifications of the Mediterranean diet were modest and the control diet was a healthy one, researchers said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, Sep 17 (Online): Researchers say a Mediterranean diet rich in virgin olive oil can be beneficial for people who are at risk for heart disease. A Mediterranean diet rich in virgin olive oil may improve the function of \u201cgood\u201d cholesterol in people at risk […]<\/p>\n
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