Blog

June 20

It was a trip that had been on my radar for a long time. Unfortunately, between the cost and the long list of calendar competition, we could never quite make it happen. So this year, when the stars seemed to align, the trip to Italy was a go. Throw in the perfect Father's Day gift, which included a few Mediterranean superfoods in the moments between breathtaking art and history, and I was all in.

We got off the train in Florence and immediately onto the bus toward the grape & olive farms of Tuscany, thankful that things were running on schedule. The 45-minute drive flew by as we learned about warring kingdoms, the few castles that remained, and how their towers, a bit like Lord of the Rings, were used to signal the approach of enemies. At the first location, the 5th generation owner proudly showed us their view. It was like something you'd see in a book; rolling hills of grape vines and olive trees as far as the eye could see, touched by a blue sky which just begs you to exhale and slow down. We sat at their table as they explained the process and took our first bite of local bread drizzled with home-grown olive oil. We were blown away.

While not all of the studies support findings like these from 2018 which showed that a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil was related to a significantly lower risk of cardiac events in high risk individuals (approximately 30% lower), many do suggest that this dietary style is at or near the best from a health perspective. So while a very recent animal study which warns that a fatty acid contained within the oil can trigger fat-cell growth (and possibly obesity) seems like a downer, we can feel good knowing that the general consensus is very positive. The even better news may be that we don't have to get things perfect to benefit - two new studies from Canada point the way.

The Portfolio Diet which invites people to choose from "a portfolio of cholesterol lowering foods" like nuts & seeds, fiber, plant protein, plant sterols and MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids like those found in extra-virgin olive oil) to improve the health value of their overall diet was found to work well in a sample of 15,000 studied. An 8-point increase in the Portfolio Diet Score was associated with a 12% lower risk over the 22-year study period. In another study (also out last month), the approach proved positive for a younger population as well. The analysis indicated that while those who followed the diet closely might add more than a decade of life in the low-risk category, it also showed that even for those who only got it done 50% of the time, 6 years could be added - a fantastic result for relatively low adherence.

While I could easily be convinced to head back and collect more data soon or make a recommendation if you're looking, I'm betting The Portfolio Diet App will be a whole lot easier to implement.

Have a great weekend,
Mike E.