As part of the research, the team enrolled participants who were at high cardiovascular risk, to one of three diets.
These were a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts, or a control diet.
This diet consisted of olive oil, fruit, nuts, vegetables, cereals, a “moderate intake” of fish and poultry, a “low” intake of dairy products, red meat, processed meats, and sweets, and wine “in moderation”, consumed with meals.
The study states: “In this trial, an energy-unrestricted Mediterranean diet supplemented with either extra-virgin olive oil or nuts resulted in an absolute risk reduction of approximately three major cardiovascular events per 1,000 person-years, for a relative risk reduction of approximately 30 percent, among high-risk persons who were initially free of cardiovascular disease.”
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