A study of the Mediterranean diet by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and the University of Athens Medical School in Greece discusses the benefits of eight foods that are the main components of the diet.

1.  Olive Oil  -  It can help lower cholesterol, but should be used in moderation.

2.  Lots of fruits and vegetables.  Researchers reported that once your diet is comprised of mostly vegetables and fruit (preferably at every meal), the additive benefits of other foods are small.   These should be a mainstay in your diet.

3.  Fish and Seafood.  Emphasis was made on eating wild fish and preparing fish in a healthy way.

4.  Nuts.  Walnuts and almonds are the best; they help with heart health, as long as they are not prepared with lots of salt and sugar.

5.  Beans.  They contain protein, fiber, iron and tons of nutrients.

6.  Alcohol — red wine, but only in moderation, can help prevent heart disease.  Too much can have an opposite effect.  The key ingredient is resveratrol, which is also found in grapes and pomegranates.

7.  Cereals.  Researchers emphasize that whole grain cereals are beneficial, while sugary, processed cereals are not. (Dr C note: I suggest sticking to the less common whole grains Emmer, Brown rice, Farro, Einkorn, Rye, Spelt,  Millet, Quinoa, Amaranth, and  Sprouted Grains.

8.  Cutting Back on Dairy. (Dr. C note: If you are doing dairy make sure it’s at least organic so you don’t have the hormones and antibiotics that are so prevalent. If you can find a local farmer at your farmers market who will provide you with fresh local milk that’s even better. I am also not a fan of non fat dairy because i think it converts to sugar too quickly in your body).

For more info, read the ABC News article here.

(Health.com) — “Women who eat more white bread, white rice, pizza, and other carbohydrate-rich foods that cause blood sugar to spike are more than twice as likely to develop heart disease than women who eat less of those foods, a new study suggests.

Men who eat lots of those carbohydrates — which have what’s known as a high glycemic index — do not have the same increased risk, however, perhaps because their bodies process the carbs differently, the researchers found.

Only carbohydrates with a high glycemic index appear to hurt the heart. Carbs with a low glycemic index — such as fruit and pasta — were not associated with an increased risk of heart disease, which suggests that the increased risk is caused “not by a diet high in carbohydrates, but by a diet rich in rapidly absorbed carbohydrates,” says the lead author of the study, Sabina Sieri, of the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, a national institute for cancer research in Milan, Italy.”

I really like the first few paragraphs of the CNN article so included it above but I loved the study title more, so I included the abstract as well (below).

Dietary Glycemic Load and Index and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in a Large Italian Cohort

The EPICOR Study

Sabina Sieri, PhD; Vittorio Krogh, MD, MS; Franco Berrino, MD; Alberto Evangelista, BSc; Claudia Agnoli, PhD; Furio Brighenti, PhD; Nicoletta Pellegrini, PhD; Domenico Palli, MD; Giovanna Masala, MD; Carlotta Sacerdote, MD; Fabrizio Veglia, MD; Rosario Tumino, MD; Graziella Frasca, PhD; Sara Grioni, BSc; Valeria Pala, PhD; Amalia Mattiello, MD; Paolo Chiodini, PhD; Salvatore Panico, MD

Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(7):640-647.

Background Dietary glycemic load (GL) and glycemic index (GI) in relation to cardiovascular disease have been investigated in a few prospective studies with inconsistent results, particularly in men. The present EPICOR study investigated the association of GI and GL with coronary heart disease (CHD) in a large and heterogeneous cohort of Italian men and women originally recruited to the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study.

Methods We studied 47 749 volunteers (15 171 men and 32 578 women) who completed a dietary questionnaire. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards modeling estimated adjusted relative risks (RRs) of CHD and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results During a median of 7.9 years of follow-up, 463 CHD cases (158 women and 305 men) were identified. Women in the highest carbohydrate intake quartile had a significantly greater risk of CHD than did those in the lowest quartile (RR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.16-3.43), with no association found in men (P = .04 for interaction). Increasing carbohydrate intake from high-GI foods was also significantly associated with greater risk of CHD in women (RR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.02-2.75), whereas increasing the intake of low-GI carbohydrates was not. Women in the highest GL quartile had a significantly greater risk of CHD than did those in the lowest quartile (RR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.26-3.98), with no significant association in men (P = .03 for interaction).

Conclusion In this Italian cohort, high dietary GL and carbohydrate intake from high-GI foods increase the overall risk of CHD in women but not men.

Most Americans are already, which means they are consuming double the upper limit of sugar recommended per day.

The American Heart Association published a study today indicating that 100g of sugar for women (6 teaspoons) and 150g (9 teaspoons)  for men is the recommended amount.

The study defined added sugars as “sugars and syrups that are added to foods during processing or preparation, including sugars and syrups added at the table.”

“Although trial data are limited, evidence from observational studies indicates that a higher intake of soft drinks is associated with greater energy intake, higher body weight, and lower intake of  essential nutrients,” which seems to make sense.

All you sugar fiends:  don’t think about taking the easy way out by switching to artificial sweeteners, because there are a wide variety of health concerns that have been touched on already on my blog.   Just play it smart and limit the amount of sugars in your diet to 100 or 150g max.  And remember, one 12-ounce can of cola contains 8 teaspoons of added sugar, for 130 calories, according to the study.