According to the European Society of Cardiology, a Mediterranean diet high in fruit, vegetables, fish and unrefined foods, is linked to a lower risk of heart attack and stroke in people who already have heart disease. The researchers looked at more than 15,000 people in 39 countries around the world to come to this conclusion. Interestingly, it was more important that these individuals ate more healthy foods than that they should avoid unhealthy foods typical of a Western diet including refined grains, sweets, desserts, sugared drinks and deep-fried food.

The researchers followed up with the participants for 3.7 years to see if they had any major adverse cardiovascular events including heart attack, stroke or death. Of the participants, whose average age was 67 years old, 10.1 percent had one of those events. Significantly, the events occurred less with those who had a higher Mediterranean diet score.

The leader of the study noted, “After adjusting for other factors that might affect the results, we found that every one unit increase in the Mediterranean Diet Score was associated with a seven percent reduction in the risk of heart attacks, strokes, or death from cardiovascular or other causes in patients with existing heart disease. In contrast, greater consumption of foods thought to be less healthy and more typical of Western diets, was not associated with an increase in these adverse events, which we had not expected.”

So be careful what you eat that might qualify as a Western diet and try to eat foods that align with a Mediterranean diet.

Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.