Incorporating several foods containing anti-inflammatory compounds into one’s diet may help stave off several health issues, according to a study conducted at Lund University in Sweden.

Over the course of four weeks, a total of 45 healthy people who were considered overweight ate foods enriched with anti-inflammatory nutrients, such as antioxidants, fiber and omega 3 fatty acids. Researchers designed the dietary regimen to prevent low-grade inflammation, which causes cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.

The results showed that a person’s bad cholesterol intake was reduced by 33 percent as well as the development of blood clots by 26 percent, blood lipids by 14 percent and high blood pressure by 8 percent. Furthermore, preventing inflammation slowed the brain’s aging process, which protected against memory loss and cognitive degeneration.

“Drug or specific products with health claims affect only one or maybe a couple of risk factors,” said Inger Bj?rck, lead author of the research. She added that “by a combination of food you can in a simple and striking way affect many risk parameters simultaneously.”

In the U.S., heart disease is the leading cause of death, followed by 6th-ranking Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes as the 7th cause, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.