As heart disease continues to be the main cause of deaths in the USA, and a tsunami of complaints is rising over the cost of medical treatment, a globally renowned expert has claimed that a simple ‘Mediterranean diet’ is more effective than the commonly prescribed statin anti-cholesterol drugs.
Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported that Prof Giovanni de Gaetano told a conference in Rome at the weekend:
“So far research has focused on the general population, which is mainly composed of healthy people. What happens to people who have already suffered from cardiovascular disease? Is the Mediterranean diet optimal for them too?”
His remarks were based on a seven-year study of 1,200 patients with a history of heart attacks, strokes and blocked arteries. Making adjustments for age, sex, class, daily exercise and other factors, it found that those who broadly followed a Mediterranean diet were 37 percent less likely to die over the course of the study. In a group that is evidently high-risk, that is a significant figure.
These findings may be seen as timely and relevant to the USA, amid concerns over the widespread – some say indiscriminate – prescription of statins as the first line of defense against cholesterol, a major contributor to heart disease.
They have been known to provoke some uncomfortable side effects, such as muscle pain, digestive problems, and loss of mental clarity. They are also hideously expensive here, as USA Today recently reported.
With an estimated cost of $14,000 per person per year, they could add an astonishing $120 billion annually to the nation’s healthcare bill. To make matters worse, statins are commonly prescribed to be taken for the rest of the patient’s life.
Yet statins are just one component in the rising tide of anger over the cost of staying healthy. The personal finance site NerdWallet has cited medical costs as the main cause of personal bankruptcy in the U.S. It also claims that in other developed countries, bankruptcy caused in this way is simply non-existent.
Add this to the furor over the cost of items such as the EpiPen, which was covered here at Liberal America, and the notion that Big Pharma is holding the country for ransom begins to gain serious traction.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, former presidential contender and a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, told NBC News:
“The drug industry’s greed knows no bounds. There’s no reason an EpiPen, which costs Mylan [its manufacturer] just a few dollars to make, should cost families more than $600. The only explanation for Mylan raising the price by six times since 2009 is that the company values profits more than the lives of millions of Americans.”
Given this as background, it would seem that anyone who has suffered from – or is at risk of – heart disease may want to investigate the Mediterranean diet.
So what is it exactly?
Instead of a conventional, prescriptive, calorie-controlled diet, it’s simply what people in the rural areas of Mediterranean countries – where good health and longevity are relatively high – traditionally eat and drink daily.
Whole grains, leafy green vegetables, fruits and fish are the staples. Red meat, butter, sweets and soda are limited to occasional treats. Processed foods are a definite no-no, but alcohol – especially a glass of red wine – can be enjoyed in moderation.
At this point, we should make it absolutely clear that Liberal America is not offering medical advice; we have neither the qualifications nor the intention to do so. We are merely relaying the findings of this medical study.
However, if you’d like to find out more about the Mediterranean diet, here’s a useful introduction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igaQh0WCvrw
Featured image via Creative Commons G.steph.rocket under an Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license
