I’m sure you are all familiar with the Mediterranean Diet, a diet which follows the foods and recipes of Mediterranean style cooking. The diet comprises mostly of vegetables, fish, whole-grains, nuts and healthy fats which can help you lose weight.
But, a recent study has shown that this diet may also help reduce your risk of suffering from an ischemic stroke. Let’s find out how.
Explanation
The study was led by a stroke neurologist, at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, named Ayesha Sherzai, MD. Her team analyzed data from approximately 104,000 teachers in California, with an average of 52 years of age and are taking part in a long-term study. The participants were divided into 5 groups based on how well they followed a Mediterranean diet and approximately 90% were Caucasian.
Dr. Sherzai and her team found out that the participants whose diets most closely reflected the Mediterranean diet can lower the risk of stroke by at least 18%. This is taking into account that the researchers adjusted for potential factors that would increase stroke risks, such as smoking, physical activity, caloric intake and cardiovascular risk factors.
Also, this is not the first study suggesting that a Mediterranean-style diet can help lower stroke risk. The American Heart Association (AHA), has also released a report showing a direct connection between the Mediterranean diet and reduced risk of heart attack or cardiovascular disease in people.
The AHA has also launched an initiative to reduce cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20% by the year 2020 and openly recommend individuals to try the Mediterranean diet.
But please note that the the Mediterranean diet may not work for everyone. Remember to consult your doctor first before starting on any diet, if your are interested in losing weight or reducing the risk of stroke.
