The Mediterranean Diet Versus the Typical Low-Fat Diet: Which Is Better?
Two recent randomized controlled trials have compared the Mediterranean diet to a low-fat diet of the type that the American Heart Association recommends (with 25%-35% of total energy from dietary fat).20 The results of these trials should help health professionals provide dietary guidance to their patients.The first study is the Mediterranean Diet, Cardiovascular Risks and Gene Polymorphisms (Medi-RIVAGE) trial21 in France, which examined the effects of the Mediterranean diet (35%-38% of total energy from fat intake) compared with those of a typical low-fat diet (30% of total energy from fat intake) over 3 months in 212 people with moderate risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Although cardiovascular outcomes could not be reliably measured over the course of 3 months, the investigators did notice a small decrease in body mass index for both groups (-1.5 body mass index units for Mediterranean diet, -1.2 for low-fat diet). They found a similar reduction in biochemical parameters us
