Is the Mediterranean diet healthy?
Many of its traditional features are: its abundance of fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes (beans), and whole grains. But for most people, particularly those who are overweight, an olive-oil-rich diet is likely problematic. The less oil consumed, the better.
Olive oil and weight gain
Olive oil, like all fats, is a highly concentrated source of calories. Consuming too much can lead to weight gain, which in turn can lead to a variety of metabolic disorders that promote heart disease, such as increased insulin resistance and higher levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.Research has also found that olive-oil-rich diets directly contribute to the growth of atherosclerotic plaque,2 higher rates of coronary artery disease,3 and impairment in endothelial function.4 The endothelium is the inner lining of blood vessels.
Can following a Mediterranean diet lower the risk of stroke? A new study says possibly -- and especially for women.
Mediterranean diets, which encourage eating fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, and unsaturated fats, have been associated with lower rates of heart disease and strokes. Research on the subject has been of variable quality, failing to account for people's cardiovascular risks or how strictly they followed their diets.
A team of U.K. researchers hoped to see if the benefits of the diet held up after looking at gender and risk factors.
"Our findings provide clinicians and the public with information regarding the potential benefits of eating a Mediterranean-style diet for stroke prevention, regardless of cardiovascular risk," said Dr. Phyo Mint, study co-author and former British Association of Stroke Physicians Executive Committee member.
Overall, all the adults in the study who most closely followed the Mediterranean diet were 17 percent less likely to develop strokes. The study, conducted in Norfolk, England, looked at over 23,000 white men and women between 40 and 77 years of age.
But when they divided the groups into men and women, there was a big difference: Women showed a 22 percent stroke reduction using the Mediterranean diet, but men showed only a 6 percent drop.
Here's a book which I found having the complete Mediterranean recipes for living and eating well day by day
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