Is gender key to the effect of Med diet?

EATING a Mediterranean diet in middle age reduces a woman’s risk of a stroke but not a man’s, a major study has suggested.

Experts at the University of East Anglia found a diet rich in fish, vegetables, fruit, olive oil and pulses eaten by women over 40 cut the risk of a stroke by 22 per cent.

For men, however, the reduction was only 6 per cent – and the scientists calculated this was not statistically significant, meaning it was likely to be down to chance.

The scientists, whose research was published in the medical journal Stroke, tracked 23,000 people in Norfolk over a 17-year period.

This was one of the largest and longest-running projects investigating the Mediterranean diet. Lead researcher Professor Ailsa Welch, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: ‘It is unclear why we found differences between women and men, but it could be that components of the diet may influence men differently than women. We are also aware that different sub-types of stroke may differ between genders.’

Eduardo Sanchez, the chief medical officer for prevention at the American Heart Association, which published the study, said: ‘The association recommends a heart-healthy and brain-healthy dietary pattern. This study provides more evidence that supports AHA’s recommendation.’