Mediterranean diets may be better for sustained weight loss than low-calorie diets, according to a new study in the U.K.
A team of health experts published a study in the Postgraduate Medical Journal reported that a diet low in fat and high in nutritional value is key to reducing the risks of heart attacks and strokes - which are major health risks associated with obesity, BBC reported.
A Mediterranean diet refers to a diet based mostly on fruit, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish and olive oil.
"What's more responsible is that we tell people to concentrate on eating nutritious foods," Dr Aseem Malhotra, a cardiologist and the lead author on the study, tells BBC. "It's going to have an impact on their health very quickly. We know the traditional Mediterranean diet, which is higher in fat, proven from randomized controlled trials, reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke even within months of implementation."
The study claims Mediterranean diets are almost three times as effective during the recovery period after a patient suffers from a heart attack as taking cholestrol-lowering satin medication.
The chairman of the National Obesity Forum, David Haslam, who was not part of the study, appeared to agree with the findings.
"A calorie is not just a calorie and it is naive for anyone to think the complex hormonal and neurological appetite systems of the body respond to different substances in the diet in identical fashion," Haslam said to BBC.
