Mediterranean diet may lower stroke risk for some, says study

A diet high in fresh produce, oils, nuts, whole grains, seeds and fish has long been touted as a way to ward off stroke and heart disease. Previous studies have provided some degree of evidence that a Mediterranean diet, typical of those in Greece, Spain and southern Italy, can be particularly beneficial for people who already have a high-risk of stroke and heart disease.

The most recent Spanish study, published in the journal Diabetes, suggests Mediterranean diets heavy in two foods -- olive oil and nuts -- lowers or even eliminates the extra risk of stroke in elderly people with a high risk of diabetes. A gene variant strongly associated with development of type 2 diabetes appears to interact with a Mediterranean diet to prevent strokes.

Also see: Does this diet help protect brain power?

"Switching to a Mediterranean diet is not going to hurt anybody, and it will help those people with risk factors or a family history of disease," study co-author Jose Ordovas from Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, tells HealthDay. "However, if switching is not totally possible, then incorporating elements of this diet such as extra-virgin olive oil, nuts, veggies, fruits, will get you somewhere."

Researchers randomly assigned more than 7,000 people aged 55 to 80 in Spain to eat a low-fat diet, or a Mediterranean diet high in nuts, or a Mediterranean diet high in extra-virgin olive oil. The researchers then followed the participants for an average of five years through 2010.

Some of the participants had a genetic mutation (two copies of a gene variant) that boosts the risk of type 2 diabetes by as much as 50 per cent. The researchers discovered that those with the gene mutation who went on the low-fat diet were nearly three times more likely than others to have a stroke. But those who went on the Mediterranean diets had about an equal level of risk as those without the genetic mutation.

Also see: Mediterranean diet may reduce heart attack and stroke risk by 30 per cent

"Being on the Mediterranean diet reduced the number of strokes in people with two copies of the gene variant," Ordovas says in press release. "The food they ate appeared to eliminate any increased stroke susceptibility, putting put them on an even playing field with people with one or no copies of the gene variant."

This study was funded by the Spanish government, the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, the Generalitat Valenciana and the United States Department of Agriculture.

A previous study on Mediterranean diets reported on earlier this year found a lower risk of stokes in high-risk people who at an extra 120 calories of extra-virgin olive oil or nut every day than those who didn't.