(MCT) — WASHINGTON — A Mediterranean diet, even drenched in olive oil and studded with nuts, beats a low-fat diet hands-down in preventing strokes and heart attacks in healthy older people at high risk of cardiovascular disease, according to research released Monday.

The latest smack-down in the diet wars appears to deal a knock-out blow to the notion that high-fat olive oil and tree nuts — walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts — are a no-no for those wishing to improve their health. On the contrary, Spanish researchers concluded that the consumption of extra-virgin olive oil and nuts “were probably responsible for most of the observed benefits” attained by those in the two study groups on a Mediterranean diet.