Mediterranean diet ‘cuts heart disease risk for women’

ADOPTING a Mediterranean-style diet could cut a woman’s risk of heart disease and early death by almost a quarter, a study suggests.

The food plan includes olive oil, vegetables, fruit, seafood and some wine and lean meat, but no butter, processed meats, pastries and sugary drinks.

Analysis of more than 700,000 women enrolled in 16 different studies conducted over the past 20 years found people who adhered to a Mediterranean diet were 24 per cent less likely to develop heart disease.

Data show that the study participants were also 23 per cent less likely to suffer an early death.

The study, published in the journal Heart, also found that the risk of coronary heart disease was 25 per cent lower in women who followed the diet.

The team, led by academics from the University of Sydney, write in their study: “We found that a Mediterranean diet was beneficial in women, with a 24 per cent lower risk of CVD (cardiovascular disease) and a 23 per cent lower risk of total mortality.”

Experts warned the findings were from observational studies and therefore could not imply causality, but the results were promising nonetheless.

Victoria Taylor, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, said: “It’s long been known that eating a Mediterranean-style is good for your heart, but it’s encouraging to see this [study] suggest that when we look at women separately from men, the benefits remain.

“Heart disease is often seen as a male problem, but coronary heart disease kills more than twice as many women as breast cancer in the UK each year.

“Sex-specific research like this is vital for reducing the heart disease gender gap and improving women’s care.”