Mediterranean Diet Reduces Heart Disease Risk Better Than Low-Fat Diet

Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish – basically the Mediterranean diet – is a better way to reduce cardiovascular risk than by lowering fat intake, according to a review of studies on the subject. Clinical trials conducted over the last fifty years usually compared low fat, low saturated fat, low dietary cholesterol and high polyunsaturated fat eating to conventional meals. Though those diets did reduce cholesterol levels, they did not reduce fatal heart attacks or other coronary heart disease deaths. In their survey of studies, the U.S. researchers found that Mediterranean-style diets prevent heart disease, even though they may not lower total serum or LDL cholesterol.