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www.bestgreekusa.com/EatGreek.aspGreek Food Is Smart Food
A Mediterranean diet makes your heart happy and provides another benefit: a healthier memory.
Trying to eat more like a Greek—that is, simply enjoying more fish, fruits, veggies, whole grains, and legumes than most Americans usually do—may be as good for your brain as it is for your heart. In fact, new research shows it could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's by up to 40 percent.
What makes the Mediterranean diet so kind to your mind? Researchers suspect it's a combination of the high levels of vitamins C and E, healthy monounsaturated fats, and flavonoids in this seaside fare. All help keep arteries healthy, and that keeps blood flowing steadily to the brain. This mix of nutrients also fights oxidative stress and inflammation, two processes strongly linked to Alzheimer's disease.
Some of the most potent inflammation-fighters (omega-3 fatty acids) are in fish, a staple of the Mediterranean diet. These fatty acids may help prevent Alzheimer's and slow the rate of mental decline in those who already have very mild forms of the disease. Get your fill of these good fats by eating fish twice a week or taking fish-oil supplements.
The benefits of going Mediterranean (think southern Italian, too) extend to your appetite as well. People who graze on couscous, falafel, chopped salad, and other traditional Greek dishes tend to consume fewer calories throughout the day, so you'll stay sharp and eat less!
Eat like the Greeks, live a longer life
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Following a so-called Mediterranean diet -- high in vegetables, olive oil and fish -- appears to help people live longer, according to new study findings released Friday.
After tracking almost 75,000 Europeans aged 60 and older for years, investigators found that the closer people adhere to the Mediterranean diet, the less likely they were to die during the study period.
Overall, the authors found that a healthy 60-year-old man who sticks rigorously to the diet could expect to live approximately one year longer than another 60-year-old man who does not eat Mediterranean-type foods.
Following a Mediterranean diet "may be particularly appropriate for elderly people," write the investigators, led by Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou at the University of Athens Medical School in Greece.
A Mediterranean-style diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts. It includes few saturated fats like the ones in red meat but plenty of healthier fatty acids like those found in olive oil. It also features moderate amounts of red wine.
Recently, research has shown that following this diet can provide a range of health benefits, including a lower risk of heart disease, arthritis, cancer and age-related memory loss.
vTo look further into how the Mediterranean diet helps health overall, Trichopoulou and her team reviewed information collected from 74,607 European men and women aged 60 and older about their eating habits. All participants were free of heart disease, stroke or cancer at the outset of the study.
Half of the participants were followed for at least 7 years.
To measure how closely people stuck to a Mediterranean diet, the researchers scored them on a scale of 0 to 9, with a higher number indicating a better adherence to the diet.
Reporting in the British Medical Journal, the investigators found that for every 2-point increase in the diet scale, the risk of dying during the study period fell by 8 percent.
People who ate more fruits, vegetables and cereals - regardless of whether they followed the diet overall - were also more likely to survive.
The association between the Mediterranean diet and survival was strongest in Greece and Spain, perhaps because residents of those countries tend to follow the diet very closely, the authors suggest.
SOURCE: British Medical Journal, April 8, 2005.
Best to Eat Like The Greeks After Heart Disease
People with heart disease who stick to a so-called Mediterranean diet -- heavy on fish and vegetables, and low on saturated fats -- tend to live longer than those who follow different diets, new research suggests.
Investigators based in Greece and the U.S. found that, among a group of more than 1,300 men and women diagnosed with heart disease, those who ate a more Mediterranean diet were nearly 30 percent less likely to die during follow up, which lasted close to four years.
Based on these findings, lead author Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou at Athens Medical School and Harvard University in Boston stated that she would "absolutely" recommend a Mediterranean diet for everybody diagnosed with heart disease.
A Mediterranean-style diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts. It includes few saturated fats like the ones in red meat but plenty of healthier fatty acids like those found in olive oil. It also features moderate amounts of red wine.
Recently, research has shown that following this diet can provide a range of health benefits, including a lower risk of heart disease, arthritis, cancer and age-related memory loss.
Recently, Trichopoulou and her team observed that following a Mediterranean-style diet appears to reduce the risk of death among people free of heart disease.
As part of the current study, the researchers followed 1,302 Greek men and women for nearly four years, noting what they ate. All were diagnosed with heart disease.
The researchers scored how closely people followed the Mediterranean diet using a 10-point scale, with a higher score indicating a higher adherence to the diet.
Reporting in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the investigators found that for every 2 point increase in diet scores, the risk of dying decreased by 27 percent.
No one ingredient of the Mediterranean diet appeared to have the biggest impact on health, the researchers note. This finding suggests that the Mediterranean-style diet is an "integral entity," Trichopoulou noted. "The total is much more than the constituents," she explained.
The Mediterranean diet, Trichopoulou said, likely helps people live longer with heart disease for the same reason the diet appears to help prevent heart disease in the first place -- by improving cholesterol and blood pressure, for instance.
"There is also speculation that the traditional Mediterranean foods may contain unidentified compounds with health promoting potential," she added.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, April 25, 2005.