If there is one so-called diet that has received widespread praise for its health benefits, it is the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet was named first in U.S. News & World Report’s list of the 40 Best Diets Overall for 2022, citing a “slew of health advantages, including weight loss, heart and brain health, cancer prevention, and diabetes prevention and management.” (1)
The Mediterranean diet, which is more of an eating pattern than a calorie-restricted diet, emphasizes lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, seeds, and fish, with liberal use of olive oil, a moderate amount of dairy foods, and a low amount of red meat — a way of eating popular in Mediterranean countries like Spain, Italy, and Greece. (2)
Followers avoid processed foods heavy in sugar, refined carbs, and harmful fats (think: chips, cookies, cake, white bread, white rice, and the like). They do, however, like a glass of red wine with their meals. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating and drinking with loved ones, being physically active, and practicing moderation. Notably, there is no calorie, fat gram, or glycemic load counting to determine restraint. (3)
“I see it as a Mediterranean way of life.” “It’s not so much what people eat that’s healthy and anti-inflammatory as it is how they consume it,” says Robert E. Graham, MD, MPH, cofounder of the integrative medical clinic FRESH Medicine in New York City. “They consume it with gusto — taste.” They eat it with their families.”
There is no one Mediterranean lifestyle or eating pattern because its adherents do not all reside in the exact location. This complicates the endeavor to evaluate the diet’s possible health advantages. “Did you ever reside in Italy?” Did you spend time in Greece? Did you spend time in Spain? So, when you undertake research studies, the diet may be slightly different in each,” explains Jo Ann Carson, PhD, a retired professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and a former head of the American Heart Association’s nutrition committee.
Dr. Carson notes that eating and drinking in moderation may be more difficult for individuals on this side of the Atlantic, especially since the Mediterranean diet does not restrict calorie consumption. “I worry that someone from the United States may try to add ¼ cup of olive oil to their diet but will not take out any goodies… “And then they’ll receive too many calories,” she claims.
With those limitations in mind, here are eight of the Mediterranean diet’s stated health advantages — and the science behind them.
1. The Mediterranean Diet May Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease
Numerous studies indicate that the Mediterranean diet benefits your heart. (4)
The PREDIMED research, a randomized clinical trial, provides some of the most compelling findings. The scientists monitored 7,000 women and men in Spain with type 2 diabetes or at high risk of cardiovascular disease for around five years.
Participants were randomly allocated to one of three groups; all received Mediterranean diet advice but were not told to limit their calorie intake. One group received free extra-virgin olive oil with instructions to consume a minimum quantity; another group received free mixed nuts with instructions to consume a minimum amount, and a third group received nonfood presents. After the follow-up period, those who ate the calorie-unrestricted Mediterranean diet with extra olive oil or almonds had a 30% reduced risk of cardiac events than the control group. The individuals were not advised to exercise by the researchers. (5)
The authors later reanalyzed the data to correct a widely criticized weakness in the randomization technique but found comparable results in a trial.
“That is perhaps the most compelling scientific evidence that a Mediterranean diet is beneficial in lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease,” Carson adds. (6)
It also looks to have a competitive advantage over other diets. A study indicated that the Mediterranean diet outperformed a low-fat diet in terms of endothelial function in the heart, which can predict the risk of cardiovascular disease. (7)
2. A Mediterranean Diet May Reduce Women’s Risk of Stroke
The PREDIMED trial has shown that eating in a Mediterranean style reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in some persons. According to a cohort study, the diet may also lower stroke risk in women, while researchers did not see the same benefits in males.
Researchers examined a mostly white cohort of 23,232 men and women aged 40 to 77 from the United Kingdom. The closer a lady adhered to the Mediterranean diet, the lower her risk of stroke. However, no statistically significant findings were seen in males. Most importantly, in women at high risk of stroke, the diet lowered the likelihood of this health event by 20%.
The authors don’t know why, but they speculate that various types of strokes in men and women may have a role. According to Carson, a clinical trial would be an excellent next step in determining the causes behind the disparities. (8)
A Mediterranean diet can help reduce the severity of a stroke. A study of 368 stroke patients discovered that individuals who followed a Mediterranean diet had a decreased stroke severity. (9)
3. A Mediterranean Diet May Prevent Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer’s Disease
The Mediterranean eating pattern, as a heart-healthy diet, may also help prevent the deterioration of memory and cognitive abilities as you age. “There is emerging evidence that what we eat might effect our brains as we age,” says Claire Sexton, DPhil, the Alzheimer’s Association’s head of scientific initiatives and outreach in Chicago. Dr. Sexton says that one diet that may lower the risk of dementia is the Mediterranean diet. “In general, it is recommended to follow a heart-healthy diet heavy in vegetables and fruits and low in saturated fats,” she explains. “Such a diet may have anti-inflammatory and vascular characteristics.”
An assessment of the Mediterranean diet’s effect on cognitive performance concluded that “there is promising evidence that adherence to a Mediterranean diet is related to increasing cognition, decreasing cognitive decline, or lowering the conversion to Alzheimer’s disease.” (10)
Furthermore, little research looked at brain scans of 70 patients who did not have dementia at the start and graded them based on how well their eating habits matched a Mediterranean diet. After the trial, those who scored low had more beta-amyloid deposits (protein plaques in the brain linked with Alzheimer’s disease) and reduced energy usage in the brain. At least two years later, these people had more deposits and used less energy, presumably reflecting an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, than those who followed the Mediterranean diet more rigorously. (11)
All of this is to say that additional study is needed before adopting this dietary strategy to reduce Alzheimer’s risk. The authors advocated for more research with a bigger participant group and a more extended study duration.
For the time being, Sexton observes that diet is one part of preventing cognitive decline, but it is not the sole one. “It’s also important to remember that, for maximum benefit, a good diet will almost certainly need to be paired with other healthy lifestyle behaviors to help safeguard an aging brain,” she adds. “While including one healthy lifestyle element, such as a better diet, may lessen the risk of cognitive decline, the more healthy lifestyle behaviors you can embrace, the greater cognitive benefit you’re likely to notice.” The Alzheimer’s Association investigates this field through its U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle.
According to Sexton, the Mediterranean diet isn’t the only one that may provide brain protection. She also discusses the blood-pressure-lowering DASH diet and the MIND diet (MIND stands for Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay), which is a mix of the Mediterranean pattern and the DASH diet.
“The judgment is still out on which diet is best for our brains, and there is unlikely to be a one-size-fits-all diet that can prevent dementia or cognitive decline in all individuals,” she adds.
4. The Mediterranean Diet May Help With Weight Loss and Maintenance
Because of its emphasis on whole, fresh foods, the Mediterranean diet may help you lose weight in a safe, healthy, and sustainable manner; nevertheless, it is unlikely to result in rapid weight reduction. As previously stated, U.S. News & World Report ranked the Mediterranean diet first in its overall category in 2022. It is tied for 12th position in the website’s Best Weight Loss category. (12)
According to randomized crossover research, this might be because the Mediterranean diet stimulates the consumption of fish and other animal products, oil, and nuts, which, when taken in high quantities, can act against weight reduction attempts compared to a low-fat vegan diet. (13)
However, if you reduce calories, you will most likely lose weight. A previous study found that 322 moderately obese middle-aged men in Israel followed one of three diets:
- A calorie-restricted low-fat diet
- A calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet
- A calorie-unrestricted low-carb diet
Women on the Mediterranean diet ate a limit of 1,500 calories per day, while men ate a maximum of 1,800 calories per day, intending to get no more than 35 percent of their calories from fat. The calorie constraints for individuals on the low-fat diet were the same. The Mediterranean diet group lost 4.4 kilograms (kg) (9.7 pounds [lb]), the low-fat group 2.9 kg (6.4 lb), and the low-carbohydrate group 4.7 kg (10.3 lb). (14)
And the diet may help you maintain your weight loss. According to one research, people who followed a Mediterranean diet were twice as likely to hold their weight reduction.
5. A Mediterranean Diet May Stave Off Type 2 Diabetes
A Mediterranean diet may be the way to type 2 diabetes treatment and maybe prevention.
Using PREDIMED participants, researchers randomized a sample of 418 adults aged 55 to 80 who did not have diabetes. They followed up after four years to determine if they had gotten the illness. Participants who followed the Mediterranean diet, regardless of whether they were given free olive oil or nuts, had a 52 percent decreased risk of type 2 diabetes during four years, even if they did not lose weight or exercise more. (15)
Furthermore, earlier studies revealed that the Mediterranean diet improved blood sugar management in persons with type 2 diabetes more than the low-carbohydrate, low-glycemic index, and high-protein diets. This study implies that following a Mediterranean diet may prevent type 2 diabetes-related health problems. (16)
6. People With Rheumatoid Arthritis May Benefit From the Mediterranean Diet
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune illness in which the body’s immune system assaults the joints, causing pain and swelling. Specific Mediterranean diet characteristics, such as its high concentration of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, may aid in the relief of RA symptoms. (17)
More study is needed to determine whether long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (found in fatty fish) will help relieve RA symptoms in addition to medication. (18)
According to a comprehensive review and meta-analysis, anti-inflammatory diets like the Mediterranean diet alleviated discomfort linked with rheumatoid arthritis more than other diets. (19)
7. Are Foods in the Mediterranean Diet Protective Against Cancer?
A Mediterranean diet meal plan may help prevent some forms of cancer.
According to a systematic review and meta-analysis, the Mediterranean diet lowers the risk of malignancies such as breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and head and neck cancers and helps avoid death among cancer survivors. (20)
A separate study using PREDIMED data found that women who followed a Mediterranean diet high in extra-virgin olive oil had a 62% reduced risk of breast cancer than those who followed a low-fat diet. (21)
8. Some Foods in the Mediterranean Diet May Ease Depression
According to a review of 41 observational studies, the Mediterranean diet is associated with a decreased risk of depression.
The diet was related to a 33% lower incidence of depression than people who followed a “pro-inflammatory diet” (richer in processed meats, sugar, and trans fats) that is more typical of a conventional American diet.
The research did not explain why a Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of depression. According to the study’s authors, these findings might be used to create and test diet-based therapies for depression. (22)
The Importance of Moderation When Following a Mediterranean Diet
The research is detailed and numerous that a Mediterranean diet may be healthy. However, Carson cautions that you must still monitor your quantities and avoid dangerous foods if you want to gain full advantages. Remember that the United States Department of Health and Human Services suggests a daily calorie consumption range of 1,600 to 3,200 for adults, depending on age, gender, and amount of physical activity. (23)
“Whether it’s diabetes, cancer, or heart disease, we want folks to be at a healthy weight and not gain weight unnecessarily.” “While following the Mediterranean pattern, make sure you’re doing it in a way that allows you to regulate calories, which is extremely achievable,” she advises.
0 Comments