I would not suggest people take fish oil supplements. Mediterranean-style diets include some fish, not fish oils.
You have to admit that Dr McDougall is controversial and has many critics. The criticism of Dr McDougall is not just from the typical (unqualified) paleo crew either. Read what another Doctor thinks about his diet plan:
In summary, the McDougall Program is basically false propaganda to convert people to veganism. I am not opposed to veganism but I am opposed to the misinformation that was presented by Dr. McDougall. - See more at:
http://enlita.com/blog/mcdougall-progra ... A2R99.dpuf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
There was a recent review of the literature "Diets to Prevent Coronary Heart Disease 1957-2013: What Have We Learned?" that found that:
Nearly all clinical trials in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s compared usual diets with those characterized by low total fat, low saturated fat, low dietary cholesterol, and increased polyunsaturated fats. Free-living volunteers were able to adhere to these diets whose goal was to decrease serum cholesterol to prevent cardiovascular events. These diets did reduce cholesterol levels. However, they did not reduce the incidence of myocardial infarction or coronary heart disease deaths.
On the basis of the results of the Diet Reinfarction Study, the Lyon Diet Heart Study in 1994 and 1999, the PREDIMED study in 2013, and the recent report by Li et al, it is clear that dietary patterns consistent with the traditional Mediterranean-style diet are particularly cardioprotective. Mediterranean-style diets are effective in preventing coronary heart disease even though they do not decrease total serum cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-934 ... X/fulltext
The review highlights the final report of the Lyon Diet Heart Study which concluded:
The protective effect of the Mediterranean dietary pattern was maintained up to 4 years after the first infarction, confirming previous intermediate analyses.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9989963" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Repeated studies have shown that the Mediterranean dietary pattern, which includes olive oil, is protective against cardiovascular disease. I really can't see how the claim that "Oil is a processed food and is bad for your arteries" is supported by quality evidence.
Further reading & references on studies into the Mediterranean diet.
(1) Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-Salvado J, et al; Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet. N Engl J Med. 2013 Apr 4;368(14):1279-90. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1200303. Epub 2013 Feb 25.
(2) Boccardi V, Esposito A, Rizzo MR, et al; Mediterranean Diet, Telomere Maintenance and Health Status among Elderly. PLoS One. 2013 Apr 30;8(4):e62781. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062781. Print 2013.
(3) Sofi F, Cesari F, Abbate R, et al; Adherence to Mediterranean diet and health status: meta-analysis. BMJ. 2008 Sep 11;337:a1344. doi: 10.1136/bmj.a1344.
(4) Martinez-Gonzalez MA, de la Fuente-Arrillaga C, Nunez-Cordoba JM, et al; Adherence to Mediterranean diet and risk of developing diabetes: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2008 Jun 14;336(7657):1348-51. Epub 2008 May 29.
(5) Hu EA, Toledo E, Diez-Espino J, et al; Lifestyles and Risk Factors Associated with Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet: A Baseline Assessment of the PREDIMED Trial. PLoS One. 2013 Apr 29;8(4):e60166. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0060166. Print 2013.
(1)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... s=23432189" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(2)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... s=23646142" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(3)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... s=18786971" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(4)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... s=18511765" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(5)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... s=23637743" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;