According to published data from a recent study by Spanish researchers, if you eat a Mediterranean diet with some added nuts, you will be at a significantly lower risk of developing heart disease. The diet counteracts a number of problems which can in turn, if left unchecked, lead to heart disease.

These precursors to illness are such factors as obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, insulin, and others. Collectively, they are more commonly known as metabolic syndrome.

The Spanish researchers’ study involved 1,224 people, aged 55 to 80, all at high risk of cardiovascular diseases.

The control group was advised on a low-fat diet, while two other groups received education about the Mediterranean diet on a quarterly basis. One of the Mediterranean diet groups also received one liter per week of virgin olive oil; the other received 30 grams of mixed nuts per day.

Some 61.4% of the participants showed signs of metabolic syndrome at the start of they study. After one year, the syndrome’s prevalence dropped by 13.7% in the mixed nut group and 6.7% in the olive oil group; the control group’s incidence dropped only by 2%.

Little weight change was noticed in any of the groups over the one year duration of the study. The number of people with large waist circumference, high triglycerides or high blood pressure however, significantly dropped in the Mediterranean diet/mixed nuts group when compared with the control group. The former diet then, may be assumed to improve the overall state of the metabolism, reducing oxygen-related cell damage, insulin resistance and chronic inflammation say the researchers.

The study was published on December 8^th in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.