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Combinations give Mediterranean diet its healthy edge

The combination of olive oil and leafy salad or vegetables is what gives the Mediterranean diet its healthy edge, say Professor Philip Eaton, from [b]King's College London[/b], and colleagues from the [b]University of California[/b]. When these two food groups come together they form nitro fatty acids which lower blood pressure, they are quoted in [s]NHS News[/s] as saying. The report says that although each component of the Mediterranean diet has obvious nutritional benefits, researchers have been puzzled about what precisely makes the diet as a whole so healthy. The researchers believe it is the fusion of the diet's ingredients that make nitro fatty acids.

A study of Italians who consume a diet rich in resveratrol – compound found in red wine, dark chocolate and berries – has, however, found that they live no longer than and are just as likely to develop cardiovascular disease or cancer as those who eat or drink smaller amounts of the antioxidant, reports [s]Science Daily[/s]. Despite the negative results, lead study author Prof Richard Semba of the [b]Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine[/b] says studies have shown that consumption of red wine, dark chocolate and berries does reduce inflammation in some people and still appears to protect the heart. ‘It’s just that the benefits, if they are there, must come from other polyphenols or substances found in those foodstuffs,’ he says. ‘These are complex foods, and all we really know from our study is that the benefits are probably not due to resveratrol.’

[link url=http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/05May/Pages/Study-discovers-secret-of-the-Mediterranean-diet.aspx]Full NHS News report[/link]
[link url=http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/05/14/1402965111.abstract?sid=1eab2b02-8108-49e6-a2d4-5b96566570b5]PNAS abstract[/link]
[link url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140512214128.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_health+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Health+News%29]Full Science Daily report[/link]
[link url=http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1868537]JAMA Internal Medicine abstract[/link]

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