The Med diet works . . . but only if you are well-off

THE benefits of the Mediterranean diet may be limited to the better-off, according to a study of 19,000 adults. The southern European tradition of eating plenty of vegetables and fish is supposed to cut the risk of cancer and heart disease. But Italian research suggests the gains go to those who consume a range of different, organic vegetables and boil or stew them rather than roast or grill them. Adults who did not go to university, and earned less than approximately £35,700 a year, saw no reduction in their risk of cardiovascular disease as they were less likely to follow these rules. dr Marialaura Bonaccio, of the University of Insubria, said: ‘The cardiovascular benefits associated with the Mediterranean diet in a general population are well known. yet for the first time our study has revealed that the socioeconomic position is able to modulate the health advantages linked to Mediterranean diet. ‘In other words, a person from low socioeconomic status who struggles to follow a Mediterranean model, is unlikely to get the same advantages of a person with higher income, despite the fact they both similarly adhere to the same healthy diet.’ People with a high income who commit to a Mediterranean diet can slash their risk of cardiovascular disease by 61 per cent, the researchers found. Published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, the research states that the right food choices may be driven by ‘a good set of knowledge and skills or greater financial resources’. Frying and roasting food may create chemicals that cause inflammation in the body, leading to heart attacks and strokes.