Mediterranean diet heart benefits explained

Nov 11 (HeartCenterOnline) - The benefits of the so-called Mediterranean Diet may be explained by the presence of phenolic compounds found in olive oil, which appear to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and arteriosclerosis.

The Mediterranean diet is a type of nutritional model that follows the traditional diets of the Mediterranean basin, particularly Greece, Italy and Spain. Olive oil is frequently consumed as part of a normal diet in these countries.

Researchers from Cordoba, Spain, were able to target the effects of olive oil in individuals with high cholesterol levels. The researchers were further able to target the effects of olive oil with phenolic compounds and those without.

According to the study, the phenolic compounds in olive oil appear to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting properties that may offer cardiovascular health benefits.

"It could be that the beneficial effect of the Mediterranean diet on cardiovascular disease and arteriosclerosis depends on the synergistic effects of the different nutrients that constitute complete foods and, as an example, virgin olive oil is more than fat because it is a real juice with other healthy micronutrients," explained Francisco Pérez Jiménez, M.D., Ph.D., from the Reina Sofia University Hospital in Córdoba, Spain, in a recent press release.

The study appeared the November 15, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.