Food fads come and go, but there are some diets that have legit cred when it comes to boosting your health – and a new study has now uncovered one of the very best.
Oh, and did we mention you’ve probably already heard of it?
A new study of more than 722,000 women has found that following a Mediterranean diet can reduce women’s risk of heart disease by 24 percent, and can lower the chances of early death by 23 percent.
“The Mediterranean diet is known for its health benefits, especially for heart health, but most studies and research into diet and heart disease are done primarily in men,” said University of Sydney PhD candidate at the Westmead Applied Research Centre, Anushriya Pant, who led the analysis.
“Now we have confirmed that similar benefits apply for women’s dietary guidelines, and this reflects the strength of the Mediterranean diet for good heart health.”
The study, published in Heart journal, also showed that incidence of stroke was lower in women who stuck closely to a Mediterranean diet, making it a double-duty diet winner.
“A healthy diet is a huge factor in preventing heart disease,” said senior author Associate Professor Sarah Zaman, from the University of Sydney Westmead Applied Research Centre and a Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow.
Though the researchers aren’t sure yet exactly how the Med diet has the effects it does, the findings are set to be a game changer in preventing cardiovascular disease in women.
“Female specific cardiovascular risk factors, including premature menopause, pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes, or female-predominant risk factors, such as systemic lupus, can all independently increase [cardiovascular disease] risk,” write the authors.
“It is possible that preventative measures, such as a Mediterranean diet, that targets inflammation and CVD risk factors, impose differing effects in women compared with men.”
Mediterranean diet how-to
Given that fewer than one in 10 Australian women are meeting their fruit and vegetable intake guidelines (a minimum of 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables each day, according to Australian Dietary Guidelines), it could be time to give the Med diet, which has long been lauded for its heart-health benefits, a go.
A Mediterranean diet isn’t about counting calories or cutting out carbs (phew!). It it a way of eating that roughly mimics what people in Greece and southern Italy ate around 1960, when the region boasted some of the world’s lowest rates of chronic disease and longest life expectancies. What that means for your plate is loads of delicious fruits and vegetables, plenty of wholegrains and legumes, plus healthy fats like olive oil and nuts, and a moderate intake of seafood and lean protein.
And if these new findings aren’t enough to convince you to give a Mediterranean diet a go, consider this: it may also help boost your gut microbiome, slow ageing, reduce risk of depression, lose weight and – for the mamas-to-be – reduce the risk of gestational diabetes.
Worth a crack, we reckon!
