Harvard Study of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid

The study from Harvard provided exciting news…the more the diet of a younger, active, non-Mediterranean population reflected Mediterranean diet patterns the lower the risk of gaining weight, the lower the risk of developing metabolic syndrome, the lower the levels of LDL cholesterol and the higher the likelihood of having higher (healthy) HDL cholesterol levels.

The population studied was made up of over 700 young, healthy firefighters, a group that clearly has a high physically active occupation. One of the more interesting points made by the researchers was that the intake of highly sweetened beverages that would not be typical in a Mediterranean style diet and are known to represent an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease. So those with higher Mediterranean diet adherence scores and lower cardiovascular risk consumed fewer sweetened beverages.

Read more about the Harvard Mediterranean Diet study on our website