Medical experts have put together the elements of a meal designed to cut heart disease by 75 per cent. They say the "Polymeal" will add 6½ years to a man's life, while women can expect an extra five years of life.
The surprisingly attractive ingredients are outlined in a paper to be published in the British Medical Journal today. They are: wine, fish, dark chocolate, fruit and vegetables, almonds and garlic. Each one was picked on the basis of its ability to reduce blood pressure, cut cholesterol levels, or its proven effect in reducing events such as heart attack and stroke.
The findings have inspired the renowned French chef, Raymond Blanc, to create a three-course meal using the ingredients.
He suggests starting with a watercress soup made from leeks, potatoes and watercress, followed by grilled fillet of mackerel, and tagine of winter root vegetables with chickpeas topped with toasted almonds and garlic. Dinner is followed by what he describes as "undoubtedly the world's best chocolate mousse".
Doctors from the Netherlands, Belgium and Australia used life tables to model the benefits of the Poly Meal in those aged 50 and over. Apart from fish, which is recommended four times a week, the ingredients must be eaten on a daily basis. Wine, at 150ml per day, reduces heart disease by 32 per cent. Some 100 grams a day of dark chocolate promises a 21 per cent reduction in cardiovascular disease. And 68 grams of almonds a day provides a 12.5 per cent reduction.
In addition to increasing men's life expectancy by 6.6 years, the Polymeal is calculated to give them nine years free of heart disease. Women eating the Polymeal will also live significantly longer, nearly five years more than women not eating the meal. They will also postpone the onset of heart disease by eight years.
The recipes can be accessed in the current issue of the British Medical Journal at www.bmj.com.
Perfect diet: the Raymond Blanc meal menu
Starters: Watercress soup, made from leeks, potatoes and watercress.
Main course: Grilled fillet of mackerel, tagine of winter root vegetables with chickpeas topped with toasted almonds and garlic.
Dessert: Chocolate mousse.