Its official! Mediterranean diet can help improve heart health

Johns Hopkins researchers including one of Indian-origin have provided further evidence that a Mediterranean-style diet is good for your heart.

The observed diet replaces white bread and pasta carbohydrates with unsaturated fat from avocados, olive oil and nuts — foods typical of the “Mediterranean diet.”

The researchers said swapping out certain foods could improve heart health in those at risk for cardiovascular disease, even if the dietary changes aren’t coupled with weight loss.

“The introduction of the right kind of fat into a healthy diet is another tool to reduce the risk of future heart disease,” said Meghana Gadgil, M.D., M.P.H, a postdoctoral fellow in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Gadgil and her colleagues analysed data from the OmniHeart Trial, which studied the cardiovascular effects of three different balanced diets on 164 people with mild hypertension but no diabetes.

The researchers compared the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar and maintain healthy insulin levels while on a carbohydrate-rich diet, a protein-rich diet and a diet rich in unsaturated fats.

People whose bodies fail to effectively use insulin usually develop type 2 diabetes, which is a major risk factor for heart disease.

The researchers found that a generally balanced diet higher in unsaturated fats such as those in avocados, olive oil and nuts improves insulin use significantly more than a diet high in carbohydrates, particularly such refined carbs as white bread and pasta.

The preferred diet is very similar to the Mediterranean diet, inspired by the foods of southern Italy and Greece and emphasizing healthy fats, fruits and vegetables.

The finding will be presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific sessions in Orlando next week.