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Tag: Mediterranean diet

Published on Leave a comment on Diet and Risk of Developing Dementia

One message keeps being supported by research: Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, whole grains, legumes, and olive oil. A reason is because this diet is anti-inflammatory. And it turns out that inflammation is at the root of many diseases, including heart disease. And dementia.

A recent study that followed more than 84,342 older adults (60 years or older at the start of the study) found that those who ate an anti-inflammatory diet had a 21% lower chance of developing dementia. They also had larger gray matter volume in the brain, and smaller white matter lesions or spots in the brain (white matter hyperintensity volume). All of the adults had cardiometabolic diseases (e.g., heart disease, diabetes, stroke) at the start of the study.

Other studies have already confirmed that eating an anti-inflammatory diet (e.g., Mediterranean diet) is linked to lower risk of diabetes, heart disease, lower dementia risk, better cognitive function, and better brain aging (as measured by MRI scans).

From Medical Xpress: Anti-inflammatory diet could lower your odds for dementia

Eating a healthy diet that dampens inflammation in the body could lower your odds for dementia, especially if you already have heart risk factors, a new Swedish study shows. ...continue reading "Diet and Risk of Developing Dementia"

Published on Leave a comment on A Mediterranean Style Diet Feeds Beneficial Gut Bacteria

The incidence of both intestinal bowel diseases (IBD) and colorectal cancer is rapidly increasing in developed countries (e.g., US, Canada, Europe). There are many theories over why this is occurring, with most researchers thinking a person's diet plays a role. A big suspect in promoting IBD and colorectal cancer is the Western diet, which has lots of ultra-processed foods and is also low in fiber.

A recent large study looked at 6 major diets and how they impact the gut microbiome. The six dietary patterns were: Western diet, Mediterranean diet, high-fiber diet, plant-based diet, high protein diet, and ketogenic diet.

And surprise, surprise - eating a Western diet resulted in having an increase in gut bacterial species linked to chronic inflammation, heart disease, colorectal cancer, IBD, and diabetes. The Mediterranean style diet had an increase in bacterial species linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, IBD, and type 2 diabetes. In fact, all 6 diets had distinct bacterial profiles in the gut.

Bottom line: The foods a person eats can either feed and nourish beneficial bacteria or harmful bacteria (linked to cancer and IBD). Best for health is a Mediterranean style diet (lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds, nuts), and avoiding ultra-processed foods. You are what you eat!

From Medical Xpress: Western diets pose greater risk of cancer and inflammatory bowel disease, study finds

Western diets pose a greater risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer, according to a milestone review of what people eat around the world. ...continue reading "A Mediterranean Style Diet Feeds Beneficial Gut Bacteria"

Published on Leave a comment on Study Finds Mediterranean Diet Lowers the Risk of Developing Heart Disease In Women

A recent study was good news for those wishing to lower their chances of developing heart disease (cardiovascular disease) without the use of medications. Instead, focus on the foods you eat, specifically those in a Mediterranean-style diet.

The Univ. of Sydney researchers did an analysis of 16 existing studies (with 722,495 women) and found that women following a Mediterranean diet lowered their odds of developing heart disease by 24% and lowered their risk of early death by 23%.

In this study, a Mediterranean diet meant eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil. Moderate amounts of seafood, low to moderate in wine consumption, and low in red/processed meats, dairy products, animal fat, and processed foods.

Why is the Mediterranean diet beneficial? The diet focuses on whole foods that are also rich in fiber, antioxidants, has an increased intake of all sorts of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, flavanols, etc.), less oxidative stress, it's anti-inflammatory, reduced glycemic load, boosts the immune system, and feeds the beneficial microbes in our gut microbiome.

Interestingly, studies find that frequent consumption of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) lowers the risk of death from several diseases (heart disease, cancer, neurogenerative disease, and respiratory disease), lowers the incidence of breast cancer, and promotes healthier brain aging. A Mediterranean diet is associated with numerous health benefits (e.g., lower dementia risk) besides a lower heart disease risk.

These findings are important because heart disease is the leading cause of death globally, according to the World Health Organization. According to the CDC, it is the number 1 killer of women in the United States.

From Medical Xpress: Mediterranean diet cuts women's cardiovascular disease and death risk by nearly 25%, finds study

Sticking closely to a Mediterranean diet cuts a woman's risks of cardiovascular disease and death by nearly 25%, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence—the first of its kind—published online in the journal Heart. ...continue reading "Study Finds Mediterranean Diet Lowers the Risk of Developing Heart Disease In Women"

Published on Leave a comment on Eating Healthy Foods Lowers Risk of Chronic Diseases

Want to improve your odds of not getting a chronic disease, such as heart disease or diabetes? A recent study found that following any healthy dietary pattern, whether Mediterranean or DASH or Diabetes Risk Reduction Diet or other similar healthy dietary styles, are all linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases.

These healthy dietary patterns all stress fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts legumes, but they vary in minor ways, e.g., whether salt, coffee, tea, or wine is allowed. People weren't following specific diets over the 3 decades of the study, but it's how they generally ate - their dietary pattern.

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers found that persons who were in the top 10% of a healthy dietary pattern, no matter which one, were compared to persons in the bottom 10% of that dietary pattern. Overall they found that being near the top of any of the healthy dietary patterns was associated with a lower disease risk.

Interestingly, larger amounts of coffee, whole grains, wine and desserts had lower risk of associated major chronic diseases.

Eating some foods frequently were associated with developing major chronic diseases, such as processed meats, energy drinks, french fries, red meat, and eggs.

From Medical Xpress: Adhering to recommended diets lowers risk of chronic diseases, 32-year study finds

Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, have good news for anyone sticking to a healthy diet: Good food choices are associated with a lower risk of developing a chronic disease. ...continue reading "Eating Healthy Foods Lowers Risk of Chronic Diseases"

Published on Leave a comment on A Mediterranean Style Diet Is Associated With A Lower Dementia Risk

Another large study found that eating a Mediterranean diet is beneficial to health - specifically, that it is associated with a decreased risk for dementia. As much as 23% lower (compared to those who didn't eat a Mediterranean style diet)! It didn't matter if a person had a genetic risk for dementia or not - diet was more important.

By the way, other studies also find that eating a Mediterranean style diet has benefits for the brain and body.

A Mediterranean style diet is one rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans, lentils), nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, and olive oil. Some lean meat, especially chicken, and fish. This way of eating is high in fiber (good for health!). Try to avoid processed meats, highly processed foods, fast food, and hydrogenated oils. Eat less meat in general.

From Science Daily: Mediterranean diet associated with decreased risk of dementia

Experts at Newcastle University found that individuals who ate a Mediterranean-like diet had up to 23% lower risk for dementia than those who did not. ...continue reading "A Mediterranean Style Diet Is Associated With A Lower Dementia Risk"

Published on Leave a comment on Doctors Recommend Mediterranean Style Diet For Health
Fast food Credit: Wikipedia

Say it over and over to yourself: Don't eat highly processed foods, don't eat foods with additives (e.g., emulsifiers, colors), don't eat foods/beverages with high fructose corn syrup, don't eat lots of pre-packaged foods or fast foods.

Why? This kind of high fat, low-fiber Western diet (which most of us eat), is linked to lots of health problems  and also an unhealthy gut microbiome. Cancer, diabetes, heart disease!

Instead, eat a Mediterranean style diet - a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, whole grains, legumes. Also, lots of olive oil. This is a high fiber diet linked to good health and a healthy gut microbiome.

Research finds harms (e.g., harmful alterations of the gut microbiome or intestinal lining, cancer) from ingredients added to highly processed foods, such as emulsifiers, carrageenan, artificial sweeteners, maltodextrin, carboxymethyl cellulose, polysorbate-80, artificial colors and flavors, high fructose corn syrup, etc. Bottom line: Try to avoid any ingredient that's not normally in your kitchen! Read ingredient lists on labels.

Excerpts from a commentary (transcript of podcast) by Dr. D. Johnson from Medscape: Forget Fad Diets, Here's the One You Need

Hello. I'm Dr David Johnson, professor of medicine and chief of gastroenterology at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. Welcome back to another GI Common Concerns.

All of us routinely see diet recommendations on the Internet — like TikTok — or in new books. Every possible diet seems to receive this promotional push, although the evidence behind them is often lacking.

So what do we mean when we talk about a "healthy diet"? ...continue reading "Doctors Recommend Mediterranean Style Diet For Health"

Published on Leave a comment on Pesticides and the Mediterranean Style Diet

Whether one eats organic foods or non-organic foods does make  difference, even when eating a healthy Mediterranean style diet. A recent study found a difference is in the amount of pesticides ingested, with much less in the organic diet. Which makes sense.

A Mediterranean style diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes - thus lots of produce and fiber, much more than in a Western style diet. However, the study found that just 2 weeks of a Mediterranean diet with either organic foods or non-organic (conventional) foods made a huge difference in the amount of pesticides ingested. They measured this by looking at pesticide residues excreted in the urine.

In persons eating an all organic Mediterranean style diet 91% lower pesticide residues were excreted in the urine when compared to those eating a non-organic Mediterranean style diet! The study also showed that pesticide exposure actually increased in 1 group (the non-organic Mediterranean diet group) when compared to their normal non-organic (conventional) Western diet.

Participants (British postgraduate students, all adults) in a small study ate their normal Western diet (e.g., hamburgers, french fries) both before and after a 2 week period in which they ate a Mediterranean style diet (e.g., Greek salad, sweet and sour chicken, vegetables, and whole grain rice). During the Mediterranean style diet phase (the middle 2 weeks) all foods eaten by one group (13 persons) were organic, and in the second group (14 persons) they were all non-organic (conventional).

Other studies have also found similar findings (organic foods lowers pesticide levels in body), and lower incidence of cancer in those eating organic foods.

Bottom line: Yes, a Mediterranean style diet (whether non-organic or organic) is still considered healthiest for us all sorts of ways, including our gut microbiome. But.. try to eat as many organic foods as possible to lower exposure to all sorts of pesticides.

Excerpts from Beyond Pesticides: Unless You Go Organic, Switching to ‘Healthier’ Mediterranean Diet Increases Pesticide Exposure Three-fold

Replacing a modern, ‘western’ diet of highly processed foods with a Mediterranean diet filled with conventional, chemically-grown fruits and vegetables triples exposure to toxic pesticides, according to research recently published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. However, this disturbing change can be eliminated by eating a Mediterranean diet consisting entirely of organic food, which is not sprayed with synthetic pesticides.  ...continue reading "Pesticides and the Mediterranean Style Diet"

Published on Leave a comment on Farts and Good Gut Health

Those who enjoy a little "potty humor" will like the results of a recent nutrition study comparing the results of a Western style diet (high fat, low fiber) to a high fiber Mediterranean diet. The high fiber diet resulted in much larger, softer stools, and an increase in stomach noises and farting. (Yes, they weighed their stools and counted daily farts!) There was no change in the number of stools per day.

In the study 18 healthy men followed both types of diets for two week periods (first one diet, then a break, and then the other diet). The high fiber diet (54.2 grams fiber per day) resulted in numerous beneficial changes, especially nurturing healthy gut bacteria and metabolic improvements. The low fiber Western diet only had an intake of 4.7 g fiber per day. Interestingly, all participants were told to avoid fermented dairy products (e.g. yogurts) during the study.

The high fiber diet resulted in greater numbers of beneficial bacteria in the gut without any major changes in the core microbiome (microbial community). There were also numerous gut microbial metabolic improvements while on this diet. Interestingly, men who already had a more diverse gut microbiota (which is a sign of health) and routinely already ate more fiber rich plants foods, had less farting and stomach noises during the study.

Think of it this way: your diet is what feeds and nurtures the microbes living in your gut. Some microbes are associated with chronic diseases, and some with health - so you want to nurture the health-associated bacteria by eating a diet rich in plant foods (Mediterranean style diet).

By the way, a recent study found that eating fermented foods is a quick way to increase gut microbial diversity and health. It's beneficial to add some fermented foods (e.g. yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir) to your regular diet.

From New Scientist: Men fart more when eating a plant-based diet due to good gut bacteria

Plant-based diets cause men to fart more and have larger stools, researchers have found – but that seems to be a good thing, because it means these foods are promoting healthy gut bacteria.  ...continue reading "Farts and Good Gut Health"

Published on Leave a comment on A Southern Style Diet Linked to Increased Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death

The results of a large study adds more evidence to what we have long suspected: eating a Southern-style diet (fried foods and sugary drinks!) increases the risk for sudden cardiac death (up to 46% higher risk), while eating a plant-based or Mediterranean style diet appears to lower that risk.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating, and death occurs within one hour from the onset of symptoms. Heart disease (coronary artery disease) is the most common underlying cause of SCD (75 to 80% of cases), but it can also have other causes (e.g. heart failure, valve disease). Sudden cardiac death is quite common in the US - about 1 in every 7.5 deaths (or nearly 367,000 deaths in 2016).

Univ. of Alabama researchers looked at 5 dietary patterns that people ate over a 10 year period:  plant-based (Mediterranean), Southern, convenience food, alcohol & salad, and sweets. People generally eat foods from all 5 groups, but what is significant is the primary pattern - what the person mostly eats. The Southern diet is most prevalent in the southeastern US, which is also known as the "Stroke Belt", due to the higher stroke death rate there.

A Southern-style dietary pattern is characterized by fried foods, added fats,  eggs, organ meats (such as liver or giblets), processed meats (e.g. bacon, hotdogs, cold cuts), and sugar-sweetened beverages. A plant-based or Mediterranean dietary pattern is rich in fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, whole grains, legumes (beans), and fish, and low in processed meats, added fats, and fried foods.

The bottom line here is that what you eat has an effect on your health, including heart health. Best is a diet rich in plant-based foods - which also happens to be fiber rich and best for feeding beneficial microbes in the gut. Try to eat at least a minimum of 5 to 6 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, but more (up to 8 or 9 servings) might be even better.

From Science Daily: The Southern diet - fried foods and sugary drinks - may raise risk of sudden cardiac death

Regularly eating a Southern-style diet may increase the risk of sudden cardiac death, while routinely consuming a Mediterranean diet may reduce that risk, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.  ...continue reading "A Southern Style Diet Linked to Increased Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death"

Published on Leave a comment on Mediterranean Diet May Lower the Risk of Prostate Cancer Progression

Great news for men who eat a Mediterranean style diet! A study found that after a diagnosis of prostate cancer, those men who ate a Mediterranean style diet had less progression of the cancer over the next three years.

These were men who were diagnosed when the cancer was still localized and who were doing "active surveillance", that is, just actively watching the cancer  and not having cancer treatments.

A Mediterranean style diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, legumes, nuts, fish, and extra virgin olive oil. It is a diet high in fiber, and low in processed meats, fats, sugar, and highly processed foods.

The Mediterranean diet is associated with health in a number of ways, such as lowered risk of death and a number of diseases (e.g. heart disease), and also lowered levels of chronic inflammation. It also has a beneficial effect on gut microbes, resulting in an increase in beneficial microbes that are associated with health and lower levels of chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is linked to cancers and a number of diseases - thus the goal is to keep inflammation levels down.

The Univ. of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center researchers said that the findings support the idea that a Mediterranean diet can affect prostate cancer progression through lowering of systemic inflammation. The researchers write: "The Mediterranean diet may be beneficial for men with localized prostate cancer on active surveillance  because of its anti‐inflammatory, antilipidemic, and chemopreventive properties." [chemopreventive means it "prevents or slows the development of cancer"; antilipidemic is something that "reduces lipid levels in the blood"]

From Science Daily: Mediterranean diet may decrease risk of prostate cancer progression

In a study to examine a Mediterranean diet in relation to prostate cancer progression in men on active surveillance, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that men with localized prostate cancer who reported a baseline dietary pattern that more closely follows the key principles of a Mediterranean-style diet fared better over the course of their disease.   ...continue reading "Mediterranean Diet May Lower the Risk of Prostate Cancer Progression"