A quick guide to understanding the Mediterranean diet

Doctors have known since the 1950s that the so-called Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of premature death. Here's a quick guide to help you understand the Mediterranean diet.

• The first study showed that heart disease rates can be predicted from cholesterol levels. It also revealed that an intake of saturated fats increases the risk and that monounsaturated fats, mainly olive oil, reduces the risk of not only heart disease, but cancer as well.
• The same study found the lowest premature mortality rate on the Greek Island of Crete. The Cretans ate very little meat, lots of legumes and fruits, moderate amounts of fish and red wine and copious amounts of olive oil. Bread, mostly whole grain, was an integral part of their diet.
• The first clinical evidence suggesting that a Mediterranean diet was advantageous in the West came in 1994 when doctors undertook to investigate what would happen to patients who had a heart attack and then were counseled to follow a Mediterranean diet.
• The patients who followed the Mediterranean diet were encouraged to eat more fresh fruits, vegetables and fish, less red meat and were also asked to replace butter with margarine that was enriched in alpha-linolenic acid. The reason for this was that the traditional Cretan diet features lots of walnuts, olive oil and a vegetable called purslane, all of which are rich in linolenic acid, a compound that is thought to be protective against heart disease.
• It didn't take long for results to show up. After just two years, the death rate in the inter­vention group was reduced by 70 percent!

• Increased exercise, weight loss and stress reduction can all lower cholesterol or improve the "bad" to "good" cholesterol ratio. Women are protected from developing coronary artery disease during their reproductive years by the estrogen their body produces; but according to the most recent research, estrogen supplements taken after menopause do not offer similar protection.
• Moderate alcohol intake lowers the risk of heart attack. This may be due to alcohol's ability to raise "good" cholesterol or high density lipoprotein (HDL), its tendency to reduce the stickiness of platelets or the presence of antioxidants, such as resveratrol, in red wine. If dietary and other lifestyle changes fail to reduce blood cholesterol, drugs may be prescribed.

The Mediterranean diet might be just what you're looking for. Consider this guide and consult your doctor before making any dietary changes.