Eating a Mediterranean-style diet for three months can reduce the risk of heart disease by 15 percent, a new study shows. The heart-healthy effects of the Mediterranean diet -- rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish and olive oil and light on red meat -- are well documented, Dr. Denis Lairon of the Faculty of Medicine Timone in Marseille, France and colleagues note in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Among people on the Mediterranean diet, total cholesterol dropped by 7.5 percent, and it fell by 4.5 percent in the low-fat diet group. Based on this reduction, the researchers write, overall cardiovascular risk fell 15 percent with the Mediterranean diet and 9 percent with the low fat diet. "Both diets significantly reduced cardiovascular disease risk factors to an overall comparable extent," the researchers conclude.
