Greek diet reduces inflammatory proteins
By Nathan Seppa
From Orlando, Fla., at a meeting of the American Heart Association
A diet rich in olive oil, fresh fruits, and vegetables–and that includes little red meat–seems to suppress a host of proteins implicated in heart disease.
Researchers in Greece used questionnaires to collect data on eating habits of 2,282 people during 2001 and 2002. The information enabled the scientists to generate a score for each person that reflected how closely he or she followed the so-called Mediterranean diet, which many studies have correlated with a reduced risk of heart disease (SN: 2/20/99, p. 116).