The Mediterranean diet is a model to limit cholesterol

The Mediterranean diet confirms as a good model to limit cholesterol and in Italy it can be used as a strategy for the population – Andrea Poli – the scientific director of the Nutrition Foundation of Italy – underlined this important element in the opening speech of the 6th National congress of the Italian Society for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases (Siprec). Cholesterol can be controlled without medicines, only through diet thus preventing cardiovascular diseases; these still represent the cause of 44% of the deaths recorded in Italy; according to Poli the aim to avoid medicines “can be often achieved”, “if effective actions are used in the right way”. “The Mediterranean diet” he affirmed. “ uses the right food to control cholesterol: plenty of vegetables and pulses, the use of olive oil (rich in monounsaturated fatty acids) as main dressing, limited consumption of milk and cheese, of “red” meat, eggs and wine”. As for cholesterol contained in food, even if it’s advisable not to go over a daily consume of about 300 milligrams of cholesterol, it is useless – according to Poli – to ban this food from our diet because of its nourishing value, as for example in the case eggs. As for fibres, they can lower cholesterol (over all those contained in cereals and pulses) if one assumes a quantity of 25-30 grams per day. The regular physical activity is fundamental: the effectiveness level is about 1.500 kilocalories per week corresponding to about 24 km (about 14 miles) fast walking or running.