According to an exciting new study, there’s an age-old diet that has been contributing to the lowering of bad cholesterol for centuries now, and luckily for you, it’s actually one of the most popular cuisines on the market.
The study that was conducted and presented at the Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 2013 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association indicates that a Mediterranean diet helps to drastically reduce levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol.
This diet consists largely of olive oil and whole grains with small amounts of wine being enjoyed either as a part of the meal, or as an ingredient. People are lowering cholesterol in high numbers who eat this type of diet, even among those who didn’t lose weight who were eating Mediterranean fare.
The researchers gathered 19 men between the ages of 24 to 62 years of age, focusing specifically on individuals with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome raises the risk for diabetes and heart disease and is associated with symptoms such as high blood sugar, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
The men were asked to follow a very strict American diet for five weeks, after which they were switched over to a Mediterranean diet for the same amount of time. After that the men were put on a 20-week weight loss diet (the study didn’t explain exactly what that diet contained), followed by another five weeks of Mediterranean diet.
American diets tend to consist of a lot of red meat, fats, carbohydrates and sugars, and so it’s not surprising that after following the Mediterranean diet, participants had LDL levels that were 9% lower than when following the American diet.
Could this mean that all you have to do in order to lower your LDL levels is follow the old adage, “when in Rome…?” People certainly have no problem visiting their favorite Mediterranean style “ristorante” on just about any day of the week, but to find out that it also does your health a ton of good in the process is better than homemade chocolate mousse.
This new study is still to be published in peer-reviewed journals, so for the time being it is only being considered as a preliminary study. But that doesn’t take away from the importance of the findings.
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Worth remembering that the American diet means American red meat [unhealthy, grain and hormone fed] Carbs like vegetables with low phytonutrient value[see today's NYT] sugars [HFCS mostly]. Anything would be an improvement on that!
I wish every tidbit of information wasn't accompanied by advertisements trying to sell me the "secrets" to something.
All this is so true, just need to look at the American people.
This is interesting, Scott. I guess I need to look at the Mediterranean Diet and study it. I eat most of what would be in a diet of that sort; using only extra virgin olive oil and organic virgin coconut oil, greens, low carb veggies, no white stuff, seldom potatoes, no red meats, no bacon, only fresh fruit, and not too much, since I have diabetes too.
I did lower my cholesterol once, however, this is also something which needs to be a “lifetime” plan, or learned pattern, because now it is high again. I used Robert Kowalsky’s recipes and plans using plant phytosterols before meals, and lots and lots of oat bran daily, primarily in his muffin recipe. I am still not sure how much oat bran he advocated for 1 day, as I liked the muffins and recipes and took in a great deal of oat bran. It worked! And pretty quickly, too. I passed the next blood work for cholesterol, with no thanks from my doctor.
I had blood work two weeks ago, and levels of cholesterol were 208, just a tad high; then again this week, and low and behold; cholesterol was up to 233! Different doctors, different labs, same person, me! What causes that kind of level rating jump?
I am ready to give up completely on doctors. Was given a medication to make my blood “flexible” and now cannot lower my sugar levels and have trouble going to the bathroom, thanks to the new medication. How many medications do I have to take now, to counteract these med reactions? I take so many pills and capsules that I think I have a callus in my throat! Seriously, I have trouble swallowing pills and caps now! Big time! I believe its all a crock of “smooth manipulation”! grumpy Georgia here, Scott, keep up the great work!
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