Understanding the Mediterranean diet

PREVIEW

Most physicians recommend the American Heart Association (AHA) Step I or Step II diet to patients at risk for heart disease and stroke, but recent studies suggest there might be a better approach. The Mediterranean diet, which has been around for thousands of years, offers a practical, effective, and enjoyable strategy that is relatively easy to adopt and more likely to be successful over the long term than most other heart-healthy diets. In this article, Drs Curtis and O'Keefe review the current understanding and scientific evidence related to cardioprotective diets and present practical ideas for implementation.