The Mediterranean Lifestyle Improves Heart Health

 

Experts agree that the combination of diet, social life and physical activity can make a generous impact on an individual’s heart health. In fact, new research has found that a Mediterranean lifestyle may boost heart health.

While the Mediterranean diet, with its focus on fruit, vegetables, olive oil, whole grains, fish and lean meats, is helpful for a myriad of health reasons, researchers found that the lifestyle surrounding the diet was worth emphasizing. 

They found that the more people followed a Mediterranean lifestyle, the less likely they were to die of cancer or cardiovascular disease. Those with the closest adherence were about 30% less likely to die of cancer or heart disease than those with the lowest adherence.

“It’s not just the diet, it is the other environmental factors also that benefit us,” said John P. Higgins, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School. 

Dr. Higgins continued, “Things like setting up your environment so that walking is the healthy choice, being happy and smiling, having sociable interactions, as well as good sleep, appear to work in concert with the Mediterranean diet to improve health and wellness.” 

Adhering to a certain lifestyle may sound overwhelming, but the Mediterranean lifestyle is fairly simple to follow. Sustainable shifts in nutrition, physical activity and social life are all that are needed for these heart-healthy habits.

Research has shown isolation and loneliness both increase a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease, highlighting the importance of the social aspects of a Mediterranean lifestyle.

“Meals are something that happen around the family and friends,” Mercedes Sotos-Prieto, an adjunct assistant professor of environmental health at the Harvard School of Public Health said. She noted a concept called conviviality, one of the key factors evaluated in the study. The concept relates to how individuals eat, rather than what they eat. In the study, this was measured as sharing meals. 

“This is something very characteristic of the traditional Mediterranean lifestyle, the pleasure of sharing meals that fosters the sense of community,” Sotos-Prieto explained. “That moment where we chat in a relaxed way while savoring the food.” 

Social habits were also tied to doing physical activity with others, such as taking a walk, or how often people attended different social events that applied to their lives, such as going to church. 

At their core, social interactions like these foster opportunities for hospitality and social support systems, according to Sotos-Prieto. This support can reduce the stress that puts strain on the cardiovascular system. When paired with exercise—like taking a walk with a friend—this can make a big difference on an individual’s overall health. 

Eating meals in a social setting may also impact what an individual is likely to eat. 

“I have a lot of patients who are single and they are eating by themselves and I find they are less likely to plan and prepare a healthy balanced meal for themselves, and then their nutrition is being compromised,” explained Jenifer Bowman, a registered dietitian in the department of cardiology at UCHealth in Fort Collins, Colorado. 

By simply sharing a meal with someone—family, friends, a roommate—individuals may naturally make more nutritious (and heart-healthy) decisions.

According to Dr. Higgins, the way of eating also boosts levels of nitric oxide, a gas that regulates blood vessel dilation, and therefore blood flow, which boosts heart function. 

Meanwhile, the Mediterranean eating style’s prioritization of fruits and vegetables provides both fiber and antioxidants. It also encourages whole grains, as well as beans—more high-fiber foods.

“Fiber takes some work for your digestive system to break down, so you have a more gradual raise in your blood sugar with higher fiber food,” explained Bowman. “Fiber also has the ability to bind to cholesterol and help remove that cholesterol from our digestive tract, which helps manage cholesterol overall.”

The Mediterranean diet also emphasizes healthy fats, especially olive oil, nuts, seeds, and lean meat, especially fish. These foods have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, including Omega-3 fatty acids, that boost heart health by reducing triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood, reducing the risk of irregular heartbeats, and slowing the build-up of plaque that hardens and blocks the arteries.

 “It does not have to be only fresh fruits and vegetables, that’s a huge myth. Frozen is fine.” Bowman said.

If fatty fish is not accessible, lean meat such as skinless chicken breasts provides healthy protein without adding saturated fat. The important thing is to avoid processed, prepackaged meals when possible, she said. 

“People in this [Mediterranean] region are not eating macaroni and cheese and frozen pizza,” she said, adding that it can be helpful to keep in mind that three-quarters of your plate should be plant-based. 

“Half of the plate should be vegetables, a quarter of it is lean protein, then the other quarter high fiber plant foods like beans or whole grains.”