IT鈥橲 THE kind of thing you hope is true: eating pizza protects against heart attack. That, at least, is one possible explanation for the findings of Silvano Gallus鈥檚 team at the Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacological Research in Milan.
They interviewed 507 people after their first heart attack, comparing their lifestyle with 478 other patients without heart problems. Not surprisingly, they found the heart-attack patients tended to smoke more, exercise less, be overweight and eat fewer fruits and vegetables. But even allowing for this, they found that people who ate pizza at least twice a week were less than half as likely to suffer a heart attack compared with non-pizza eaters (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol 58, p 1543). And no, the work was not funded by a pizza company.
But don鈥檛 rush out to the nearest pizzeria, Gallus and others caution. For one thing, a small study based on people鈥檚 recollections is not definitive proof. What鈥檚 more, even if the results are accurate, they do not prove that pizza itself is good for you. It might just be that Italians with a lust for pizza tend to eat a more healthy Mediterranean diet overall. 鈥淥ur message is not simply 鈥楨at pizza and you鈥檒l be protected鈥�,鈥� says Gallus. 鈥淥ur suggestion is 鈥楧o not abandon the Mediterranean diet and diversity of food.'鈥�
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