Every year between 250,000 and 300,000 athletes suffer a tear or more complicated injury involving the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament, found in the knee). You hear about it all of the time in sports. Just last year 11 NFL players saw their season end early due to this injury.

The statistics are staggering for those who tear the ACL, and it seems the complications that arise are not as easily solved after surgery. In fact, according to the American College of Sports Medicine, "of 400,000 ACL reconstructions, up to five percent risk re-injury, up to 45 percent fail to return to their pre-injury sport level, and up to 80 to 90 percent develop radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis (as early as seven years post surgery)." In more recent years, the amount of female-related ACL injuries have become an epidemic.

Residents among the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea seem to know something most don't. They have lower risk of heart disease, and reduced risk of cancer, chronic diseases, and cardiovascular mortality. So, what's keeping them so healthy? In short: their diet.

I'm sure you've heard of the Mediterranean diet at some point. This diet is based on the concept that one should consume plant based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts, substitute butter for healthy fats like olive or canola oil, reduce intake of red meat — we discussed the benefits of this practice in last week's column— while consuming poultry and fish at least twice a week. In fact, on this diet, it is even ideal to drink a glass of red wine, but remember moderation, of course.

Red meat consumers take note: according to a recent study published in the Archive of Internal Medicine, "eating red meat is associated with a sharply increased risk of death from cancer and heart disease."

Featured recently in The New York Times, this study was comprised of 121,342 men and women who were evaluated via questionnaire from 1980 through 2006. During this period 23,926 people from the group in question died — 5,910 suffered from cardiovascular disease, while 9,464 succumbed to cancer.

Last Thursday I was honored to deliver the keynote address to the students and faculty of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. At the request of Eddie Hebert, Ph.D, and department head of kinesiology and health studies, I was participating in the Annual Ask KHS (kinesiology health studies) Student Symposium.

The Ask KHS event allows the students to hear from and interact with professionals in a variety of fields including athletic training, exercise science, sport management, health education and promotion, health and physical education teacher education, fitness and human performance, nutrition and coaching.