More research results in favor of the Mediterranean diet

Low-Fat Diet and Avoidance of Vitamin D - Two Health Recommendations You’re Best Off Rejecting

March 11, 2013

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/03/11/misleading-health-recommendation.aspx?e_cid=20130311_PRNLv2_art_1&utm_source=prmrnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130311

Story at-a-glance

• A “landmark” study provides compelling evidence that the type of fat you consume, not the amount, is what imparts the cardiovascular health benefits associated with the Mediterranean diet
• People at high risk for heart disease had 30% reduction which is comparable to the effect that was achieved with statins
• Participants could eat all the nuts and dark chocolate they wanted and still had the same benefits
• "The Mediterranean diet" is typically characterized as a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables with liberal use of olive oil, while being low in fish, poultry and red meat, and it has long been thought to provide a number of potent health benefits
• In less than five years, those eating a Mediterranean diet supplemented with additional olive oil or nuts achieved a 30 percent relative risk reduction for cardiovascular disease, and a 49 percent reduction in stroke, compared to controls who were instructed to eat a low fat diet
• According to a recent report, calcium and vitamin D is not effective for preventing bone fractures. Alas, the studies reviewed used only 400 IU’s of vitamin D, which is far too low to produce most therapeutic benefits. Furthermore, both calcium and vitamin D are dependent on vitamin K2 for proper function. When K2 deficient, taking calcium and vitamin D supplements may result in inappropriate calcification and symptoms of vitamin D toxicity