As diabetes becomes more and more common it will soon be impossible to not know someone close to who has been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM). In the year 2035 it is projected that more than 500 million people will have Type 2 diabetes.
What’s even more interesting is that about 100 years ago this disease was so rare that almost no one would have heard of it.
By now we can understand that diabetes is an increasing global epidemic that could ultimately leads to metabolic syndrome (MS) or an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, mortality, and some types of cancer.
What if I told you there was something that you can do to reduce that burden with a certain lifestyle modification that we may have heard from the grape vine—going Mediterranean…diet that is.
It consists of high intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, whole grains, nuts and olive oil. Along with moderate consumption of dairy products and wine, with low intake of red and processed meats and foods that contain high amounts of added sugars.
A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition has summarized their findings from a collection of ten large clinical studies that have been previously published and their results of the Mediterranean Diet in relation to T2DM.
Amongst many of these studies, scientists of the PREDIMED (PREvencion con DIeta MEDiterranea), a landmark trial concluded a 30% reduction in the risk of T2DM and promoted reversion of the metabolic syndrome including hyperglycemia and central obesity.
Several bioactive food constituents suggested to provide the health promoting properties of the Mediterranean Diet include:
- unsaturated fatty acids
- complex carbohydrates and fiber
- vegetable protein, non-sodium minerals
- phytosterols
- polyphenols (antioxidants)
Take away message: The abundance of healthy nutrient-dense foods that make up the Mediterranean Diet has been shown to be superior to the long-time recommended low-fat dietary pattern.
Journal of Nutrition. 2016 Mar 9. Volume 146, Number 4, pages 920S-927S
Categories: Diabetes, Food, Plant Medicine
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