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Med Diet 'Better Than Statins' For Treating Heart Disease

A Mediterranean-style diet is better at treating heart disease than cholesterol-lowering drugs, a new study has claimed.

The research discovered that those who had a diet rich in vegetables, nuts, fish and oils were a third less likely to die early, in comparison with those who ate larger quantities of red meat, such as beef, and butter.

Speaking at a global conference on heart disease in Rome, Italy, leading heart disease expert Professor Giovanni de Gaetano said: "So far research has focused on the general population, which is mainly composed of healthy people.

"What happens to people who have already suffered from cardiovascular disease?

"Is the Mediterranean diet optimal for them too?"

Those who ate mainly along Mediterranean lines were 37% less likely to die during the study than those who were furthest from this dietary pattern, the conference was told.

In the past, cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins were thought to be the most effective way of fighting heart disease, the leading cause of death in the UK.

Statins, the most widely-prescribed drug in the UK, are said to help reduce major heart problems by around 24%.

The drug's seven million users cost the NHS £285m a year.

According to the latest figures from the British Heart Foundation, cardiovascular disease causes more than a quarter (27%) of all deaths in the UK - around 155,000 deaths each year.

This is an average of 425 people each day, or one death every three minutes.