People with heart disease who eat more fruits, veggies, fish, and a little alcohol each week tend to have fewer serious heart problems — and even small improvements in these habits might help.

If people with heart disease eat more like a Mediterranean diet—lots of fruits, veggies, fish, whole grains, and a little alcohol—they’re slightly less likely to have serious heart problems like heart attacks or strokes.

People who eat like Mediterraneans—lots of veggies, olive oil, fish, and nuts—tend to have fewer heart problems, no matter where they live or how much money they make, so this way of eating might help heart patients everywhere.

People who follow the Mediterranean diet more closely—like eating more veggies, fish, and olive oil—tend to have a lower chance of dying from heart disease, and every little step up in following the diet cuts their risk by about 9%.

Eating more fruits and veggies each day may lower your risk of heart disease — the more you eat, the better the protection, which is why doctors tell us to eat plenty of plants.

People who eat more fruits and veggies have a slightly lower chance of dying from heart disease, and both fruits and veggies contribute to this benefit.