https://www.yahoo.com/news/mediterranean-diet-only-works-earn-001500870.html
The Mediterranean diet only works if you live in household earning £35,000 and are highly educated, a new study suggests.
Although
health experts advocate a diet rich in fresh fruit, vegetables, olive
oil, fish and nuts, researchers now believe that the quality of food is
crucial for seeing the benefits.
Italian researchers studied the impact of a Mediterranean diet on reducing heart disease risk in 18,000 men and women over a four-year period.
In
line with similar research they discovered that sticking to the plan
reduced the risk of heart disease by 15 per cent, but only for people
with a household income of £35,000 or higher. No actual benefits were
observed for the less advantaged groups.
The
researchers said the finding was surprising, and have speculated that
more affluent families are able to buy better quality food which is
higher in antioxidants, polyphenols and lower in pesticides.
"The
cardiovascular benefits associated with the Mediterranean diet in a
general population are well known, yet for the first time our study has
revealed that the socioeconomic position is able to modulate the health
advantages linked to Mediterranean diet,” said Dr Marialaura Bonaccio, a
researcher at the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention at the Neurological Mediterranean Institute (Neuromed).
“In
other words, a person from low socioeconomic status is unlikely to get
the same advantages of a person with higher income, despite the fact
that they both similarly adhere to the same healthy diet.
“These
substantial differences in consuming products belonging to
Mediterranean diet lead us to think that quality of foods may be as
important for health as quantity and frequency of intake".
This is likely to be due to other differences between low and high income groups, rather than the diet not being effective
Dr Tim Chico, University of Sheffield
Dr
Giovanni de Gaetano, director of the Department at Neuromed, said the
public health message that the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for
everyone may need to change.
“During
the very last years, we documented a rapid shifting from the
Mediterranean diet in the whole population, but it might also be that
the weakest citizens tend to buy 'Mediterranean' food with lower
nutritional value,” he said.
“We
cannot be keeping on say that the Mediterranean diet is good for health
if we are not able to guarantee an equal access to it".
However, British experts said that other factors could behind the difference in outcomes for the richest and poorest people.
Dr
Tim Chico, Reader in Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Sheffield,
said: “This study confirms a well-known but depressing fact; people of
lower education or income have almost double the risk of heart disease
compared with those who are better off.
“Although
the authors of this study suggest that the Mediterranean diet may be
less effective in reducing heart disease in less well-off people, this
is likely to be due to other differences between low and high income
groups, rather than the diet not being effective.
“These
findings should not put anyone off a Mediterranean diet; this is still
the best option for reducing risk of heart disease.”
The research was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
More health benefits of the Mediterranean diet
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