Nutrition Tips: Study Increases Understanding of the Benefits of a Mediterranean Diet

People who consume a diet similar to a Mediterranean diet tend to have lower levels of oxidative stress, according to researchers at Emory University. Oxidative stress is an imbalance of antioxidants and prooxidants in the cells of the body. It is linked to greater production of reactive oxygen species, harmful oxygen-containing molecules that contribute to the thickening of blood vessels and the formation of lesions leading to heart attack and stroke.

"We've known about the protective effect of the Mediterranean diet, but this begins to show how antioxidants in the diet may be bringing about that effect," says study leader Viola Vaccarino, MD, PhD, professor of medicine (cardiology) at Emory University School of Medicine and professor of epidemiology at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health.

People who consume a Mediterranean diet eat large amounts of fruit, vegetables, whole grain breads, fish and poultry. Olive oil is their main source of fat. They eat low or moderate amounts of dairy products such as cheese and yogurt and low amounts of red meat.

The study results were published online in the journal Circulation in December 2007 and were presented March 14 at the American Heart Association's Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.