Mediterranean Diet Shows Protective Powers In Heart Patients

New research shows that eating a Mediterranean diet may extend the lives of heart patients.

"Adherence to the Mediterranean diet shrinks the risk of overall mortality, not only in the general population -- which is already known -- but in patients who already suffered a heart attack," said study researcher Dr. Giovanni de Gaetano. He heads the department of epidemiology and prevention at the I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed Institute in Pozzilli, Italy.

The study included nearly 1,200 patients in Italy. During a median follow-up of just over seven years, 208 died.

Further investigation suggested that the lower risk of death was mostly associated with higher consumption of certain foods in the Mediterranean diet: vegetables, fish, fruits, nuts and olive oil.

The research was presented this weekend at the European Society of Cardiology annual meeting in Rome. Research presented at meetings is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.