Ancel Keys a physiologist from the University of Minnesota, studied the diets and eating habits of the seven countries. United States and Greece were included in this study. He discovered that people in Greece had a minimal rate of cardiovascular disease and a high longevity rate.
In this study was proven what is healthy and what isn’t. Overwhelming evidence show that the Mediterranean diet can prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer. The main source of fat is the extra virgin olive oil, rich in antioxidants and high in content of vitamin E and phenols that promote a healthy, long life.
Olive oil protects your body inside and out. It is extremely good for you in ways you could not even imagine.
In Greece, Southern Italy, Spain and Morocco, the Mediterranean diet is an important part of their history and culture, and a huge distribution to the rest of the world.
Dr. Ancel Keys in his epidemiological research in 1958, called the Seven Countries Study, proved that the Mediterranean diet was healthier. Although didn’t recognized until the 1990s.
In the 1990s Dr. Walter Willett from Harvart University’s School of Public Health, wrote a book about the Mediterranean diet, based on the eating habits and patterns of Greece, the Island of Crete and Southern Italy. The Mediterranean diet focuses on high consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, small amounts of meat, cheese and yogurt, wine used in moderation and plenty of extra virgin olive oil.
The extra virgin olive oil is the main characteristic of the Mediterranean diet. The high content of mono-unsaturated fat and mainly oleic acid, which studies suggest, may link to the reduction of heart disease. Also the antioxidants in olive oil, regulate cholesterol and lower LDL cholesterol.
The Mediterranean diet, high in mono-unsaturated fat and fiber and low in saturated fat, points its health benefits to olive oil.
Another important reason for the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, is the emphasis on the enjoyment of the food when is consumed.
In another study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was found that the Mediterranean diet and a healthy lifestyle, were responsible for lowering mortality by 50%.
The New England Journal of Medicine, in a 2008 study, examined the Mediterranean, low-fat and low-carb diets, with results higher weight loss from the Mediterranean and low-carb diets.
In 2008 in the British Medical Journal was published that the Mediterranean diet, reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, after analyzing the results of about 50 studies, reported that the Mediterranean diet is associated with low triglycerides, low blood pressure and low blood sugar.