A review regarding the benefits of the Mediterranean diet was conducted and it was found that this heart-healthy diet could also reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors that boost the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Reviewing the results of 50 published studies, researchers from Greece and Italy found that the natural foods-based diet is associated with a lower risk of hikes in blood pressure, blood sugar and triglycerides, as well as a reduced risk of a drop in good cholesterol.

Dr. Demosthenes Panagiotakos, an Associate Professor at Harokopio University of Athens in Greece said, “It is one of the first times in the literature, maybe the first, that someone looks through a meta-analysis at the cardiovascular disease risk factors and not only the hard outcome of heart disease and other conditions”.

Though many previous studies have confirmed these findings but the research team said that there was a great need to conduct a further advanced study on the same topic.

Panagiotakos believed that healthy food like salads, fruits and vegetables, cereals and legumes could be introduced in fast-food and burgers could be replaced by all these products.