Albanian paradox, another example of protective effect of Mediterranean lifestyle?

Risk factors among coronary heart disease patients in the context of the Albanian paradox

“…Moreover, it has been reported that infant mortality, as indicator of poverty is also high, yet according to WHO, the age-standardized coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality in Albania is very similar to that in Italy; it is less than half of that in the United Kingdom and is much lower than that in Central and other Eastern European countries (1,2). Few studies have been performed on CHD risk factors in Albania (3).…”

“…Although a high total cholesterol level is considered a leading risk factor for CHD, in our study, only 21% of the patients with a first episode of CHD had high levels. The Mediterranean diet (which typically consists of a low consumption of meat and dairy products and a high consumption of fruits, vegetables) has been prevalent in Albania, which could have contributed to maintaining the cholesterol levels low (1,2). Another plausible explanation is the hypothesis that Mediterranean populations genetically have lower cholesterol levels.…”

Global comparative assessment of life expectancy: the impact of migration with reference to Australia

“…3 The efficacy of the "Mediterranean diet" and Asian equivalents on common risk factors for highprevalence diseases (such as cardiovascular disease and some cancers) has been noted previously. 7,8 Such dietary factors include abundant consumption of vegetables, fruit and whole grains and lower intake of dairy foods, 7 and are more likely to be evident in sections of the southern European and south-east Asian migrant populations in Australia. 25,37 However, acculturation also has effects on health status over time, with previous studies in Australia 38 and the USA 34 indicating that health status can decrease with the length of stay and in secondgeneration migrants.…”

“…This obscures the effect of widespread immigration to Australia -predominantly from southern and eastern Europe after World War II 3 and from south-east Asia in the latter part of the 20th century higher levels of education than others may be more likely to immigrate, and to be accepted into Australia, the net effect being to increase overall Australian life expectancy due to the so-called "healthy migrant" effect. [4][5][6] It is also conceivable that lifestyle factors shaped by the cultural mores of a given country of birth, such as diet, 7,8 are retained by immigrants and, to a lesser extent, by subsequent migrant generations; 9 these may influence the overall life expectancy of the Australian population.…”

Eltérések a kelet-közép- és a nyugat-európai országok halálozási rátái között. A meghatározó okok kvantitatív elemzése

“…az 1990-es évek végén a lancet című folyóirat hasábjain is komoly vita bontakozott ki a fent említett két irányzat között. az úgynevezett mediterrán paradoxont Gjonça-Bobak [1997] albánia, európa egyik legszegényebb országa esetében vizsgálta. a szerzők azt találták, hogy albániában az életkorra standardizált szív-és érrendszeri halá-lozás a 0 és 64 év közötti férfiak esetében feleakkora, mint az egyesült Királyságban és megközelítően ugyanakkora, mint Olaszországban.…”