Mediterranean diet reduces diabetes risk

2014-05-06 10:12:34

The key factors of the Mediterranean diet consist of eating primarily plant-based foods (like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts), eating healthy fats like olive oil, using herbs and spices instead of salt, limiting red meat, eating fish and poultry, and drinking red wine in moderation. A recent study analyzed a subgroup of another very large study that spanned 7 years in total and followed over 3500 participants.^[1] Participants were randomly assigned and separated by gender, age, and location. They received 1 of 3 diets: a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts, or a control diet that had low-fat. No interventions were provided to increase physical activity or promote weight loss (which could both possibly skew results). The researchers measured and recorded the amount of people who became newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. They found that during their follow-ups, those in the diet plus olive oil group developed the lowest amount of diabetes. Those in the nuts group developed less diabetes than those in the control group. The conclusion from this study is that a Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil can reduce diabetes risk, especially among people who have a high risk of heart problems.