The Mediterranean diet gets another heart health win.
New medical research in Spain suggests eating a diet rich in olive oil, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables, along with red wine, helped those at high risk for cardiovascular problems avoid heart trouble better than those eating a low-fat diet.
A five year study of participants on a Mediterranean diet indicated a 30 percent greater reduction in relative risk of a heart attack, stroke or death from cardiovascular disease.
Researchers say "The low-fat diet also helped, but to a lesser degree."
Doctors explain the Mediterranean diet seems to boost heart health probably because of the combination of good-quality fats -- both monounsaturated like olive oil and polyunsaturated like vegetable oils -- and the wide range of other nutrients.
The new findings appear in the online New England Journal of Medicine.
