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Everyone has a diet different from the diet of their neighbour, no matter where in the world they happen to live. In general, though, adopting a diet similar to that which people in the Mediterranean follow would be better for the health of many people in the UK. "Years of documented research has demonstrated that foods eaten by people living on the shores of the
Mediterranean Sea help prevent heart disease and some tumours," says Dr Dario Giugliano, professor of Metabolic Diseases at the Second University of Naples, who has written a book on the subject - The Mediterranean Diet: Origins and Myths.
"The Lyon Diet Heart Study, conducted in France, for instance, illustrated that a Mediterranean diet could reduce cardiovascular mortality by 70 per cent. This is merely one area in which this diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil and fish, produce beneficial effects on one's health."
The health benefits are not due to a particularly low level of fat.
In fact, there is quite a high level of fat in the typical Mediterranean diet. However, a large proportion of this fat is of the monounsaturated variety (mainly thanks to the copious amounts of olive oil used in food preparation), which can actually help to reduce harmful cholesterol in the blood.
The fat in the typical British diet is largely of the saturated variety, which is known to increase artery-clogging LDL cholesterol and have a detrimental effect on coronary heart disease figures. Red meat, a major source of saturated fat, is certainly not as prevalent in the Mediterranean diet. Many of their meals are based around foods like bread, pasta and potato. The larger proportions of, for example, fruits, vegetables and fish in their diet also provide larger quantities of, for example, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, which help protect health.
Mind you, better health is not just down to food.
The Mediterranean penchant for a glass of red wine with the main meal might also have a part to play in lower levels of heart disease. And Mediterranean people generally have more relaxed lifestyles than British people. You don't, however, have to live on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea to adopt similar dietary and lifestyle habits. Having said that, a holiday there to do some 'research' might be in order.
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Author: Darren Ward
Copyright www.exercise.co.uk
2001
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Copyright Exercise, Fitness & Leisure 2001
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