The Med diet : People who adopted the eating plan were 47 per cent less likely to develop heart disease over a 10 year period . A Mediterranean diet is more protective against heart disease than exercise , a new study has revealed . Those who stuck to the diet , consisting of fresh fruit and vegetables , whole grains , nuts , beans , olive oil , fish and even a glass of red wine were 47 per cent less likely to develop heart disease over a 10 year period . The study , from Harokopio University in Athens , is the first to track 10-year heart disease risk in a general population . Most previous studies have focused on middle-aged people . The study , presented at the American College of Cardiology 's annual conference , is based on data from a representative sample of more than 2,500 Greek adults , . Aged between 18 to 89 , they provided researchers with health information on themselves each year from 2001 to 2012 . Nearly one in five of the men and 12 per cent of the women developed or died from heart disease , including stroke , coronary heart disease and heart attack . The researchers scored participants ' diets on a scale from 1 to 55 based on their self-reported frequency and level of intake from 11 food groups . Those who scored in the top-third in terms of adherence to the Mediterranean diet were 47 percent less likely to develop heart disease over the 10-year follow-up period ( compared to participants who scored in the bottom-third ) . Each one-point increase in the dietary score was associated with a three percent drop in heart disease risk . This difference was independent of other heart disease risk factors including age , gender , family history , education level , body mass index , smoking habits , hypertension , diabetes and high cholesterol . Women tended to follow the Mediterranean diet more closely than men , the researchers noted . Study author , Professor Demosthenes Panagiotakos , said : 'Our study shows the Mediterranean diet is a beneficial intervention for all types of people in both genders , in all age groups , and in both healthy people and those with health conditions . 'Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was more protective than physical activity . 'It also reveals the Mediterranean diet has direct benefits for heart health , in addition to its indirect benefits in managing diabetes , hypertension ( high blood pressure ) and inflammation . Protective : The Mediterranean diet comprises fresh fruit and vegetables , whole grains , nuts , beans , olive oil , fish and red wine . 'Because the Mediterranean diet is based on food groups that are quite common or easy to find , people around the world could easily adopt this dietary pattern and help protect themselves against heart disease with very little cost . ' The researchers admitted that because the study was limited to Greeks living in the Athens area it might not reflect the health patterns of other countries . But they did point out that urbanised Greeks were eating a more western diet , similar to that of Americans . The analysis also confirmed results of previous studies indicating that male gender , older age , diabetes and a measure of inflammation are associated with an increased risk for heart disease . Earlier research has shown that following the traditional Mediterranean diet is linked to weight loss , reduced risk of diabetes , lower blood pressure and lower blood cholesterol levels , in addition to reduced risk of heart disease .
Greeks who followed the diet were 47 % less likely to develop heart disease . Study is the first to track 10-year heart disease risk in a general population . Staples of the diet include fresh fruit and vegetables , whole grains , nuts , beans , olive oil and fish - 'easily obtainable foods ' , the researchers note .