Copyright (2013) Sydney Morning Herald

Sydney Morning Herald

February 27, 2013

Michelle Fay Cortez

The findings add more weight to the benefits of a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and oils.

A MEDITERRANEAN diet with extra servings of olive oil or mixed nuts reduced the risk of a first heart attack, stroke and death by almost 30 per cent in less than five years, according to a study by Spanish researchers.

The research involved 7477 high-risk volunteers, all of whom were diabetic or had a host of risk factors including obesity, high cholesterol, family history of heart disease or smoking. Heart damage was significantly more likely to occur in people told to watch their fat intake than in those given olive oil or nuts and told to follow a Mediterranean diet, according to the study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The findings add more weight to the benefits of a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and oils, the researchers said. While numerous studies show healthy eating can cut complications in people who have heart disease and help ward off ailments including Alzheimer's disease and diabetes, the study is the first to show a diet can prevent deadly heart disease from developing.

''These results support the benefits of the Mediterranean diet for cardiovascular risk reduction,'' said the researchers led by Ramon Estruch from the University of Barcelona. ''They are particularly relevant given the challenges of achieving and maintaining weight loss.

''The results of our trial might explain, in part, the lower cardiovascular mortality in Mediterranean countries than in northern European countries or the United States.''

In the study, 3.4 per cent of those on a Mediterranean diet who were given extra nuts experienced a heart attack, stroke or died from cardiac complications, compared with 3.8 per cent on a Mediterranean diet plus extra olive oil and 4.4 per cent of those asked to follow a low-fat diet.

Recommended foods in the Mediterranean diet were olive oil, nuts, fruits and vegetables, fish, legumes, a mix of tomato, onion and garlic, and wine with meals. Soft drink, baked goods and red or processed meats were discouraged.