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Mediterranean Diet Reduces Hypertension & Heart Disease
By admin | October 27, 2009
The Mediterranean diet has a well known record of low coronary heart disease. Recent studies also show a reduction of hypertension. This includes both the diastolic as well as the systolic. What this means is the resistance in the vascular system is reduced both with heart contractions and in the resting state of the heart.
What is considered a good Mediterranean diet? It consists of the following.
- Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables
- Abundant olive oil
- Whole grains in breads and pasta
- Nuts in moderate or low amounts
- Less red meats, more fish
- Fish or seafood two times a week
- Regular red wine consumption in low to moderate amounts daily
- Regular exercise…like daily
What is the science behind the favorable results for the Mediterranean diet? A good study of several thousand subjects was done at the University of Athens, Greece. It found:
- More flexibility to arteries, believed due to increased nitric oxide and artery dilation.
- A high ratio of mono saturated to saturated lipids (this means more easily metabolized fats versus hard to metabolize trans fats.)
- Higher levels of essential minerals…magnesium, potassium and calcium.
- Natural antioxidants of fruits and vegetables…especially carotenes and specifically lycopene.
- Polyphenol (antioxidant) and omega 3 content of olive oil.
While both meat and the cereal (probably wheat gluten) increased the oxidation and tendency for chronic inflammation, it was more than off set by the olive oil, nuts and fresh fruits and vegetables; these reduce oxidation and hence reduce inflammation. Inflammation is the mother of all heart disease and a major cause of hypertension.
Table salt (NaCl) is often implicated as a factor in high blood pressure; but the real issue is the ratio of potassium to sodium. Western diets are frequently deficient in potassium and magnesium. Both of these minerals are extremely important to cardiovascular health. The Mediterranean diet contains high levels of these two minerals as well as another important mineral to cardiovascular health, calcium.
Abundant fruits, vegetables and moderate amounts of nuts provide a good supply of these minerals. This would account for reducing the blood pressure, along with lowered arterial resistance due to the olive oil. In addition, the abundance of polyphenols and antioxidants found in the Mediterranean diet quell inflammation…the culprit in coronary heart disease and high blood pressure.
A Spanish study done on 9,408 male and female subjects from 1999 to 2005 found reduced blood pressure associated with the Mediterranean diet. The risk factors for increased blood pressure, especially the age factor, were adjusted so the net effect was reduced hypertension with the Mediterranean diet.
Another little emphasized factor in the study at Athens and in Spain was that of the red wine connection. Typically these populations regularly drink red wine in the low amounts daily, even in childhood. A flurry of recent research has shown the red wine contains resveratrol (available in supplement) which is a good antioxidant and dramatically improves longevity.
A study in Burgundy France was so startling it is called the “French paradox”. A study of the population there found a 46% increase in longevity, in spite of a lousy diet high in fats. Subsequent studies in lab animals have confirmed that indeed everything fed resveratrol lives longer in spite of a poor, high fat diet. The red wine in Burgundy is especially high in resveratrol because of the harsh conditions there. The effectiveness and power of resveratrol is emerging as being due to its anti-oxidative power and longevity gene stimulation of SIRT-1. (Note: Over indulgence in wine is counter-productive, supplemental resveratrol makes more sense.)
Resveratrol, and components of wine, demonstrated to Japanese researchers that laboratory rats fed wine compounds for 8 weeks were able to maintained healthy blood pressure…Denis Van Loan D.D.S.
Topics: Alternative, Health, Heart Disease, alternative health | No Comments »