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Mediterranean diet can protect against effects of eating junk food, study finds

Esther Han
Esther Han

The new study provides adds to the growing body of evidence that the Mediterranean diet is good for the heart.
The new study provides adds to the growing body of evidence that the Mediterranean diet is good for the heart.Shaiith

The prevailing wisdom that a balanced diet, rather than the extreme end of healthy, appears to be sound, with a new study showing sugary and fatty foods may not be as bad as we think for people with heart problems.

A study involving more than 15,000 people with coronary heart disease from 39 countries found that while the Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of heart attack and stroke, the Western diet of refined sugars and deep-fried foods did not increase the risk.

In fact it appears a Mediterranean-style diet - rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes and unrefined foods - has a protective effect when it comes to eating junk food.

A Mediterranean diet is rich in fruit, vegetables, fish and unrefined foods.
A Mediterranean diet is rich in fruit, vegetables, fish and unrefined foods.Supplied
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The researchers from New Zealand said in their paper - published today in the European Heart Journal - they were surprised to find that eating greater amounts of healthy food was more important than avoiding Western junk food, such as lollies, cake and fizzy drinks.

But Professor Ralph Stewart, from the University of Auckland, warned the finding did not mean people could eat unhealthy foods with impunity.

"The main message is that some foods - and particularly fruit and vegetables - seem to lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and this benefit is not explained by traditional risk factors such as good and bad cholesterol or blood pressure," he said.

"The study found no evidence of harm from modest consumption of foods such as refined carbohydrates, deep fried foods, sugars and deserts. However, because the assessments were relatively crude, some harm cannot be excluded."

The leading cause of death in Australia is coronary heart disease, with the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing it accounted for one in seven male deaths and one in eight female deaths in 2014.

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While the traditional message has focused on avoiding unhealthy foods, this study suggests health groups should place more emphasis on encouraging people with heart disease to eat more healthy foods.

The researchers asked 15,482 people with stable coronary artery disease and an average age of 67 to complete a lifestyle questionnaire.

The questionnaire asked participants to detail how often they consumed servings from food groups such as meat, fish, dairy foods, whole grains or refined grains, vegetables (excluding potatoes), fruit, desserts, sweets, sugary drinks, deep-fried foods and alcohol.

Participants who consumed more healthy foods were awarded a "Mediterranean diet score", while those with a taste for unhealthy foods were given a "Western diet score".

Over nearly four years, 1588 of the participants suffered either a heart attack or stroke, or died - accounting for 10.1 per cent of the group.

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"After adjusting for other factors that might affect the results, we found that every one unit increase in the Mediterranean Diet Score was associated with a seven percent reduction in the risk of heart attacks, strokes or death from cardiovascular or other causes in patients with existing heart disease," said Professor Stewart.

"In contrast, greater consumption of foods thought be less healthy and more typical of Western diets, was not associated with an increase in these adverse events, which we had not expected."

The findings were consistent across all the geographical regions involved in the study, including Australia.

The authors warned the observational study did not show cause and effect. Limitations include the fact it relied on self-reporting, did not assess total calorie intake and did not assess good fats and bad fats.

The study was funded by GlaxoSmithKline. The participants were part of the pharmaceutical giant's "stability" drug trial, created to learn whether a drug reduced the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and deaths.

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Dr Nita Forouhi, from the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, told the UK's Telegraph: "On the surface it is an attractive message that greater emphasis should be on encouraging healthy foods rather than avoiding unhealthy foods, but such a conclusion is premature."

She continued: "It is too early without further research to conclude convincingly about the lack of harm of unhealthy foods."

Victoria Taylor, from the British Heart Foundation said: "We should be cautious about the suggestion from the study that greater consumption of refined carbohydrates, deep fried foods, sugars and desserts, which are more typical of Western diets, are not associated with an increase in heart attack, stroke or death."

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Esther HanEsther Han is a homepage editor at The Sydney Morning Herald. She was the overnight homepage editor based in New York City, and previously covered state politics, health and consumer affairs.

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