Skip to main content
Submitted by PatientsEngage on 17 November 2014

A Mediterranean diet may be a better way of tackling obesity than calorie counting, leading doctors have said.

Writing in the Postgraduate Medical Journal (PMJ), the doctors said a Mediterranean diet quickly reduced the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The PMJ editorial argues a focus on food intake is the best approach, but it warns crash dieting is harmful. They criticise the weight-loss industry for focusing on calorie restriction rather than "good nutrition".

And they make the case for a Mediterranean diet, including fruit and vegetables, nuts and olive oil, citing research suggesting it quickly reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and may be better than low-fat diets for sustained weight loss.

The article also says adopting a Mediterranean diet after a heart attack is almost three times as effective at reducing deaths as taking cholesterol-lowering statin medication.

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-29929403