Mediterranean diet components could prevent pancreatitis

Researchers know fish oil and virgin olive oil are both good for health. Now researchers have discovered that virgin olive oil and fatty acids in fish that are components of a Mediterranean diet can protect from acute pancreatitis.

The disease is simply inflammation of the pancreas, which can strike both children and adults. Pancreatitis can be mild and self-limiting, but severe cases can lead to multi system organ failure and death.

A significant number of cases are from chronic alcohol abuse. Gallstones can also lead to acute pancreatitis because they block the flow of digestive enzymes. Other causes include some medications. Examples are ACE inhibitors which are a class of blood pressure medicine, thiazide diuretics (e.g. HCTZ), steroids and the anti-seizure drug valproic acid.

Excessively high triglycerides can also inflame the pancreas that produces symptoms of epigastric pain and tenderness, fever, nausea and vomiting and abdominal bloating.

For their research, Scientists at the University of Granada were able to show that oleic acid and hydroxytyrosol, which is found in high levels in virgin olive oil, and fish fatty acids, relieve symptoms of pancreatitis.

In this study the researchers observed how the fatty acids affect the cellular membrane to reduce oxidative damage and inflammation to relieve symptoms of pancreatitis, using in vitro models.

Study author, María Belén López Millán says, "There is increasing evidence that there are oxidative-inflammatory processes involved in the origin of chronic diseases and that diet plays an important role in such processes. The antioxidant (phenolic compounds) and anti-inflammatory (omega-3 fatty acids) effects of diet components (nutrients and bioactive compounds) prevent/mitigate the pathological incidence of oxidative-inflammatory processes".

Virgin olive oil and fish are part of a Mediterranean diet, that has been well studied for its health benefits. Millán says the finding that virgin olive oil ingredients and fatty acids from fish can help prevent and alleviate pancreatitis; published in the journal Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, provides scientific evidence of how components of the Mediterranean diet work to promote better health.

EmaxHealth

Mediterranean Diet key to undisturbed Sleep, researchers say!

Greekresearchers have outlined how following a Mediterranean diet and keeping activecan help improve some of the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome(OSAS).

OSAS is a sleeping disorder characterised by abnormal pauses in breathing orinstances of abnormally low breathing during sleep. Each pause in breathing -an apnoea, can last anything from a few seconds to a few minutes and may occur5 to 30 times or more in an hour. OSAS is one of the most common sleep-relatedbreathing disorders, with approximately 2% to 4% of adults suffering from thecondition. Obesity significantly increases our chances of developing thedisorder, and doctors often advise losing weight as a means of combating it. 

Writing in the European Respiratory Journal, the team present their findingsbased on an analysis of how the Mediterranean diet affected obese peoplesuffering from sleep apnoea compared to those on a prudent diet, that is, onelow in total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium. 

The most common understanding of the Mediterranean diet, notwithstandingregional variations, is based on what was traditionally eaten in Crete, manyparts of Greece and southern Italy. This is a diet that consists of plenty ofplant foods, fresh fruit, and olive oil as the principal source of fat, as wellas dairy products such as cheese and yogurt. Those on a Mediterranean dietconsume low-to-moderate levels of fish, poultry and red meat, and a maximum offour eggs a week. 

The team, made up of researchers from the University of Crete in Greece,examined 40 obese patients suffering from OSAS. Half the patients were given aprudent diet to follow, while the other 20 followed a Mediterranean diet. Bothgroups were also encouraged to increase their physical activity, and wereadvised to aim for a minimum of 30 minutes of walking every day. 

Both groups of patients also received continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP) therapy, which involves wearing a mask that generates an air stream,keeping the upper airway open during sleep. At the start of the study period,the researchers monitored the patients during a sleep study, also known as apolysomnography. This type of study looks out for several OSAS indicators suchas electrical activity in the brain, eye movements and snoring. Six monthslater, the team analysed the patients once more to see if the dietary changeshad had an effect on their sleeping rhythm. 

The findings reveal that patients on the Mediterranean diet had a reducednumber of apnoeas during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep - a stagewhich usually accounts for approximately 25% of total sleep during the night. 

Lead study author Christopher Papandreou comments: 'This is the first studyexamining the impact of the Mediterranean diet in combination with physicalactivity on OSAS via changes in the human body. Our results showed that thenumber of disturbances during REM sleep was reduced more in the Mediterraneandiet group than the other group. Recent reports have related an increase indisturbances during REM sleep with the risk of developing significant systemicconsequences like diabetes type II. However, its clinical significance remainsunclear. Finally, more studies are needed to examine the effect of the abovediet on this sleep-related breathing disorder, taking into account itsanti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.'

For moreinformation, please visit:

European Lung Foundation:
http://www.european-lung-foundation.org/

Its official! Mediterranean diet can help improve heart health

Johns Hopkins researchers including one of Indian-origin have provided further evidence that a Mediterranean-style diet is good for your heart.

The observed diet replaces white bread and pasta carbohydrates with unsaturated fat from avocados, olive oil and nuts — foods typical of the “Mediterranean diet.”

The researchers said swapping out certain foods could improve heart health in those at risk for cardiovascular disease, even if the dietary changes aren’t coupled with weight loss.

“The introduction of the right kind of fat into a healthy diet is another tool to reduce the risk of future heart disease,” said Meghana Gadgil, M.D., M.P.H, a postdoctoral fellow in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Gadgil and her colleagues analysed data from the OmniHeart Trial, which studied the cardiovascular effects of three different balanced diets on 164 people with mild hypertension but no diabetes.

The researchers compared the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar and maintain healthy insulin levels while on a carbohydrate-rich diet, a protein-rich diet and a diet rich in unsaturated fats.

People whose bodies fail to effectively use insulin usually develop type 2 diabetes, which is a major risk factor for heart disease.

The researchers found that a generally balanced diet higher in unsaturated fats such as those in avocados, olive oil and nuts improves insulin use significantly more than a diet high in carbohydrates, particularly such refined carbs as white bread and pasta.

The preferred diet is very similar to the Mediterranean diet, inspired by the foods of southern Italy and Greece and emphasizing healthy fats, fruits and vegetables.

Daily News Analysis

The Mediterranean Diet Improves Liver Health

The benefits of the Mediterranean Diet go beyond weight loss, even when weight loss isn't achieved. Researchers from St. Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, studied 12 patients without diabetes who had nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and the results of their study demonstrated that liver health was improved even without weight loss. "Subjects had a significant improvement in insulin sensitivity, indicating a reduction in the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. This was demonstrated without weight loss, thus suggesting that a change in macronutrient intake alone without weight loss can improve metabolic health," said Marno Ryan, MBBS, MD.

Dr. Ryan, continues, "This small, highly controlled study demonstrated that a 6-week Mediterranean Dietary intervention could lead to a reduction of liver fat by 39% compared with a current recommended healthy diet. This has significant implications for patient care. Previously dietary studies in NAFLD have been lacking. We can now offer patients evidence-based dietary advice that will reduce their risk of diabetes and liver disease even without weight loss."

NAFLD is a cause of fat deposited in the liver and not associated with alcohol use; instead, it's associated with insulin resistance and metabolic syndromes such as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. The condition could affect up to 30 percent of the US population, and can be detected through blood tests measuring for liver enzymes or ultrasound, but liver biopsy is the surest way of confirming NAFLD. All 11 subjects in this study had NAFLD confirmed by liver biopsy.

This study compared the Mediterranean Diet to the National Heart Foundation Diet, and concluded that the former diet significantly reduces both liver fat and inflammation and significantly improves insulin sensitivity. There was no significant change in any of these three measurements for patients while on the National Heart Foundation Diet. "Weight loss is difficult to achieve and maintain; however this has previously been the only accepted therapeutic strategy for NAFLD," said Dr. Ryan, "We have now demonstrated that adherence to the Mediterranean Diet can reduce liver fat, and improve insulin sensitivity, without weight loss, thus reducing the risk of development of liver disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus."

Abstract title:

The Mediterranean Diet: Improvement in Hepatic Steatosis and Insulin Sensitivity in Individuals with NAFLD

AASLD is the leading medical organization for advancing the science and practice of hepatology. Founded by physicians in 1950, AASLD's vision is to prevent and cure liver diseases. This year's Liver Meeting®, held in San Francisco, California, November 4 - 8, will bring together more than 8,000 researchers from 55 countries.

A press room will be available from November 5 at the annual meeting. For copies of abstracts and press releases, or to arrange researcher interviews, contact Gregory Bologna at 703-299-9766.

Press releases and all abstracts are available online at www.aasld.org .

SOURCE American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD)

Mediterranean diet 'aids fertility'

Men who eat a diet rich in fruit, vegetables and fish could boost their chances of becoming a father, according to a new study.

A Mediterranean-style diet, which also contains leafy vegetables, pulses and whole grains, can enhance sperm motility by 11%.

This could be especially important for couples who are trying to conceive naturally due the need for sperm to be "strong swimmers".

The research comes as a separate study found that men who take moderate exercise can also positively impact their sperm motility. Both studies were presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) conference in Orlando.

In the first, experts from universities including the Harvard School of Public Health, examined the diets of more than 180 men aged 18 to 22. They split those who ate any Mediterranean-type items into four sub-sets, from those with the highest intake of these nutrient-rich foods to those with the lowest. Those in the highest group had an increased sperm motility of 11% compared to the lowest.

Audrey Gaskins, from Harvard's Department of Nutrition, said: "I think motility is most important for couples who are trying to conceive naturally. It's our hope that a small increase could lead to a small increase in fertility rates."

Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer from the academic unit of reproductive and developmental medicine at the University of Sheffield, said the influence of a man's diet on semen quality had been of interest for some time. He said the latest study "nicely illustrates that a good diet is of benefit when trying to conceive".

In the second study, from experts at Yamaguchi University in Japan, 215 men attending an IVF clinic completed a questionnaire about their exercise habits and gave semen samples.

The group reporting moderate exercise had the highest average sperm motility as well as a significantly lower percentage of men with less than 40% sperm motility (14.3%). In the lowest exercise group, 30.8% of men had sperm motility under 40% and 27.1% of men who exercised intensely had sperm motility under 40%.

Dr Dolores Lamb, president-elect of the ASRM, said: "Exercise is a component of an overall healthy lifestyle, which contributes to reproductive health. This study which uses frequency, intensity, and duration to quantify the amount of exercise a subject gets, shows that a moderate exercise routine may be recommended to modestly improve semen parameters in men with no known conditions that impair their reproductive capacity."

UkPress

Mediterranean Diet tied to fewer Birth defects

Women who eat a better diet leading up to pregnancy are less likely to have babies with birth defects, including brain and spine problems as well as cleft lip and cleft palate, according to a U.S. study.

Researchers found that fewer babies were born with defects such as neural tube defects when mothers-to-be more closely followed either a Mediterranean diet -- high in beans, fruits, fish and grains, and low in diary, meat and sweets -- or the U.S. food guide pyramid guidelines for a healthy diet.

The findings were published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

"A lot of birth defects, including neural tube defects, occur very early in pregnancy, before women even know they're pregnant," said Suzan Carmichael from Stanford University, who worked on the study.

"These messages are important for women who are at any risk of becoming pregnant."

The bottom line for women who are pregnant, or may get pregnant, is eating a variety of foods, including a lot of fruit, vegetables and grain, and taking a vitamin supplement that contains folic acid, she added.

Low levels of folate during pregnancy were linked to brain and spinal birth defects in the late 1990s, and pregnant women are recommended to take a prenatal vitamin with folic acid and iron.

Carmichael and her colleagues wondered if eating a healthy, balanced diet could have the same protective effect as getting extra vitamins and minerals through supplements. They used data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study to compare about 3,400 women who had a baby with a neural tube defect or a cleft lip or palate, and 6,100 women whose babies didn't have a birth defect.

Birth Defects

Each of those women completed a phone interview in the two years after her baby was born.

Researchers asked the new mothers how frequently they had eaten a range of foods, from beans to candy, in the few months before they became pregnant. Then they calculated how closely women had followed the so-called "Mediterranean diet" ir the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid.

After taking into account how much the women weighed, whether they took vitamins and if they smoked and drank, Carmichael and her colleagues found that those who more closely followed either healthy diet were less likely to have babies with any of the birth defects they studied.

In particular, women with a diet closely matching the USDA Food Guide Pyramid were half as likely to have a baby missing part of its brain and skull -- a birth defect called anencephaly -- than women whose diet was farthest from those guidelines. They were also 34 percent less likely to have a baby with cleft lip and 26 percent less likely to have one with cleft palate.

Epidemiologist David Jacobs, from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, said the findings suggest that a healthy diet can lower the risk of birth defects in the same way that has happened through folic acid fortification.

"If you are a woman about to become pregnant or think you might become pregnant, it's all the more reason for you to take care of yourself and seek out better foods," Jacobs, who wrote a commentary accompanying the study, told Reuters Health.

Luz de Regil, from the World Health Organization's Department of Nutrition of Health and Development in Geneva, cautioned that with the current evidence about the benefits of prenatal supplements, a good diet isn't enough.

On a global scale, especially in places where diets aren't as good, folic acid is still a priority for preventing birth defects, she told Reuters Health.

"If a woman is trying to get pregnant, a good diet should be a complement to the use of folic acid supplementation, not a substitute," said de Regil, who wasn't involved in the study.

"Having a baby (and) a good pregnancy is a result of many things." SOURCE: bit.ly/ovBiCs

Study Finds Olive Oil Better than Medication for Heart Disease

According to preliminary results of a Spanish study part of PREDIMED, a long-term nutritional intervention study aimed to assess the efficacy of the Mediterranean diet in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases, virgin olive oil is more effective in reducing heart disease than drugs.

Researchers are reporting that a Mediterranean diet enriched with virgin olive oil or nuts can reverse arteriosclerosis in carotid arteries in just one year.

The study included 187 participants over the age of 55 who were randomly assigned to 3 groups; the olive oil group followed the Mediterranean diet supplemented with 15 liters of virgin olive oil per three months which corresponded to about 10 tablespoons a day, the nut group also followed the Mediterranean diet with 30 grams (about 1 ounce) a day of walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts, and the low fat diet group which were given instructions and material to follow a low-fat diet.

All the volunteers had the thickness of the artery walls of their carotid arteries measured, both at the beginning of the study and at the end of a year. “We thus observed who had suffered the greatest thickening of this layer, due to arteriosclerosis, a significant improvement and regression of lesions having taken place in those cases that had followed a Mediterranean diet enriched with virgin olive oil or nuts. This improvement was not observed amongst those who did not have thickening of the artery wall at the start of the study,” according to Dr. Ana Sánchez-Tainta, one of the researchers.

From the results it was concluded that “a modification in the entire diet pattern managed to achieve, in just one year, results that pharmaceutical drugs did not – even after two years of treatment.”

Lower Risk of Alzheimer's Disease with The Mediterranean Diet

Q. We have heard that people who drink fruit and vegetable juice have a significantly lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. Are veggie juices as good as fruit juices? What about wine?
A. Several studies suggest that food could play a role in the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. A Mediterranean diet has been associated with less cognitive impairment and dementia (Current Alzheimer's Research, August 2011). In particular, a diet high in nonstarchy vegetables, fruits, nuts and berries seems to be somewhat protective (Journal of Nutrition, Sept. 1, 2009).
Tomatoes are rich in antioxidant compounds, and so are berries, tea, cocoa, pomegranates and wine. New research suggests that moderate social drinking, particularly wine, also may reduce the likelihood of developing cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease (Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment online, Aug. 11, 2011).

Q. Back in 2005, I had a horrible persistent cough. After a CT scan, I was told it looked like lymphoma and referred to a specialist to evaluate the swollen lymph nodes and multiple nodules in my lungs.
The specialist did a biopsy and diagnosed sarcoidosis. We knew nothing about this disease and immediately began online research. The doctor wanted to start me on corticosteroids, but I am already overweight and have mild high blood pressure, and feared the steroids would make that worse.
My wife, Pam, came across some reports of sarcoidosis being treated effectively with low doses of antibiotics. At my next visit, she gave the doctor printouts of her research. He looked it over and described it as "quackery."
Pam is quite persuasive, however. She convinced the doctor just to try the treatment. He prescribed minocycline, a drug commonly used for acne.
Within six weeks, my cough was gone. X-rays showed no lymph-node swelling and no nodules. The doctor is now using the treatment on other patients with sarcoidosis.
A. Sarcoidosis is a systemic autoimmune disease in which small clumps of inflammatory cells lodge in various tissues. The lungs and the lymph nodes are most frequently affected, but these granuloma clumps can appear anywhere. Successful treatment of some sarcoidosis patients with doxycycline or minocycline has been attributed to the immune modulating effects of these drugs (Clinical Rheumatology, September 2008

Mediterranean diet linked to lower risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus

A new study by Imperial College London researchers suggests that following a Mediterranean diet may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The study published in the July 25, 2011 issue of Diabetes Care found high adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with 12 percent reduced risk of diabetes Mellitus, compared with those who least adhered to the Diet.The association was based on data from a study population of 340,000 participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. Of the participants, 11,994 incidence type 2 diabetes mellitus were identified.

The study also found medium adherence to the Mediterranean diet was correlated with a 7 percent reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus compared with the low adherence.

However, the association was not significant among those aged younger than 50 years of age and obese participants.Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a condition in which a person can produce insulin but can't efficiently use it to deal with blood sugar.  The condition can lead to severe complications if not adequately controlled.  An estimated 20 million Americans live with type 2 diabetes mellitus.   There is no cure for the disease, but it can be controlled using diabetes drugs.

Mediterranean Diet May Prevent Metabolic Syndrome

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet may prevent metabolic syndrome, according to a new study.

The Mediterranean diet is based on the healthy eating habits and lifestyle of the southern Italian and Greek populations in the early 1960s. The diet is rich in fiber and nutrients, emphasizing fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish, nuts and limited red meat.

In a new study, researchers conducted a comprehensive literature search for studies assessing the Mediterranean diet and its potential effects on metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is defined by a group of simultaneous conditions, including high blood pressure, high insulin levels, excess fat around the waist and high cholesterol. Fifty studies evaluating a total of 534,906 individuals were identified for inclusion.

The researchers found that adherence to a Mediterranean diet reduced the risk for metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, clinical studies indentified a reduced risk for the individual conditions involved in metabolic syndrome, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

The authors concluded that adherence to a Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and its associated individual conditions. Additional research is necessary to further evaluate these findings.

Natural Standard

Mediterranean Diet can help People live longer

Here is a little secret on how one can live a longer and healthy life,The Mediterranean Diet can increase a woman's lifespan by as much as 15 years and increase a man's life by 8 years,according to a new study.
Researchers at Maastricht University tracked 120,000 men and women between the ages of 55 and 69. Each person was given a score in 1986 based upon his/her adherence to four key factors that have been shown to affect mortality: smoking, physical activity, body weight, and dietary habits.

What happened? Men who avoided smoking, exercised at least 30 minutes a day, avoided obesity, and stuck to the heart-healthy Mediterranean Diet lived about 8.5 years longer, on average, than men who didn't do any of those things, according to a written statement released by the university. 

Healthy living had an even bigger effect on women's lifespans. On average, those who met all four criteria lived 15 years longer than women who met none.

Fifteen years? Eight-and-a-half years? Those are huge numbers, especially given that life expectancy in the U.S. - where healthy living isn't exactly the norm - now stands at 77.9 years.

“I was surprised that the effect was so big. I was also surprised at the big difference between men and women”, said lead researcher Piet van den Brandt. He also went on to say  he wasn't sure why healthy living women would live so much longer than their male counterparts. One possibility, he said, was that hormonal differences explained the difference. 
so there you go people,start following The Mediterranean Diet if you want a long healthy lifestyle with your family. 

The Mediterranean Diet Nutrients Benefits The Heart

ST. CHARLES, Mo.–Olive extract, lycopene, chitin-glucan and green tea are promising nutrients present in the Mediterranean Diet that have been shown in clinical trials to reduce oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL), a pro-atherogenic mediator and biomarker for cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a recent article written by Joseph L. Evans, Ph.D., manager, pharmacology for Stratum Nutrition and Novus Research fellow (Agro Food Industry.2011 March/April;40-2). Supplements that contain these natural ingredients may therefore help reduce the growing incidence of CVD.

"There are several historically-used measurements for identifying individuals at risk for developing cardiovascular disease, including levels of LDL- and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, total cholesterol and high blood pressure to name a few," Evans noted. "However, there are other biomarkers, including OxLDL and the OxLDL / HDL cholesterol ratio that have been shown in clinical research to be more sensitive indicators for discriminating between individuals with and without coronary artery disease (CAD) when compared to the commonly measured biomarkers. And consuming a Mediterranean diet is an effective way to reduce levels of OxLDL and improve overall cardiovascular health."

The Mediterranean Diet is rich in foods with strong antioxidant properties, such as fruits, vegetables, olive oil and nuts. Research has indicated that the nutrients contained in these foods increase the expression of those genes involved in our body's antioxidant defense system, and suppress those genes involved in advancing inflammation and atherogenesis. While the precise mechanism(s) responsible for nutrient-mediated reduction in OxLDL is unknown, it likely involves the increased expression of circulating and intracellular antioxidant enzymes, along with the inhibition of enzymes that contribute to increased production of reactive oxygen species.
Natural Products Insider

Expatriate Health Insurance news: Diet 'can help to prevent dementia'

Expatriate health insurance customers may wish to eat a healthy Mediterranean diet, after an expert claimed this can reduce the chances of a person developing dementia.

As foods from this region contain a high number of antioxidants, it is believed they can assist people in maintaining their cognitive abilities in later life, noted Hannah Clack, media manager at the Alzheimer's Society.

Researchers hope to utilise antioxidants to fight the progression of Alzheimer's, with the University of Dundee using sulforaphane, a chemical located in rocket and broccoli, to examine how the body's defences can be stimulated.

Obesity, however, can result in the risk of developing this illness doubling, whereas diet can result in the chances of it happening declining by a third, Ms Clack stated.

This must be combined with a lifestyle that includes abstinence from smoking, regular exercise and occasional monitoring of blood pressure and cholesterol levels, she continued.

All of these are "things that can really help make sure that you are doing everything you can to hopefully avoid dementia", the expert concluded.
Expatriate Healthcare specialise in providing international health insurance.

DASH diet, Mediterranean Diet rated tops by U.S. News & World Report for health, effectiveness

U.S. News and World Report declared the diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, to be the best for in terms of safety, nutrition and its ability to control diabetes and support heart health.

The eating plan was created by the National Institutes of Health and includes foods that are rich in nutrients that are associated with lowering blood pressure without medication- potassium, magnesium and calcium.

Nuts boost health benefit of Mediterranean diet

Adding nuts to a traditional Mediterranean diet rich in fruit and vegetables appears to provide extra health benefits, Spanish researchers said on Monday.

A daily serving of mixed nuts helped a group of older people manage their metabolic syndrome, a group of related disorders such as obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and abnormal blood sugar, Jordi Salas-Salvado of the University of Rovira i Virgili in Spain and colleagues said.

"The results of the present study show that a non-energy-restricted traditional Mediterranean diet enriched with nuts, which is high in fat, high in unsaturated fat and palatable, is a useful tool in managing the metabolic syndrome," they wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The findings add to existing evidence of the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet that emphasises vegetables, fish and healthy fats such as olive oil over red meat and alcohol. Studies have linked the diet to reduced risk of diabetes, asthma and a range of other conditions.

The Key to the Mediterranean Diet: Wine

It’s been clear for a while now that adhering to The Greek Mediterranean Diet can lower risk of dearth(in the short to medium term, anyway).

But the diet has many components, and it hasn’t been clear which elements of the diet are responsible for this benefit. An analysis published in the BMJ aimed to find out.

Researchers based at Harvard and the University of Athens looked at data collected from more than 20,000 Greek men and women who were followed for an average of more than eight years as part of a study of nutrition and health.

They assessed participants’ adherence to nine components of the Mediterranean diet. They found that overall, people who adhered more closely to the diet were less likely to die during the study. They also parsed the data to see which elements of the diet were most strongly associated with this benefit. Here, in descending order of importance, are the keys:

• A moderate amount of alcohol (usually wine)
• A small amount of meat
• Lots of vegetables
• Lots of fruits and nuts
• A high ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fats
• Lots of legumes

Mediterranean diet linked to fertility

Women who closely adhere to a Mediterranean-style diet rich in vegetables, vegetable oils and fish have a higher chance of becoming pregnant after infertility treatment..
The researchers did not assess pregnancy outcomes, so the diet's relationship to the ultimate success of fertility treatment is not clear. The Mediterranean and health-conscious diets had many similarities, but there are a few potential reasons why the former might affect fertility treatment success. One is the high intake of vegetable oils in the Mediterranean diet. The omega-6 fatty acids in these oils, the researchers note, are precursors to hormone-like substances in the body called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins, in turn, are involved in the menstrual cycle, ovulation and pregnancy maintenance.
more info!!

Mediterranean diet cuts asthma risk in kids

Children who eat a diet rich in fruit, vegetables and fish have a lower risk of asthma and wheezing, scientists have found. However, eating three or more burgers a week can increase the risk.

Mediterranean diet a sound recipe for healthy living

Apart from preventing metabolic syndrome, Mediterranean diet also has positive effects on individual risk factors such as waist size, HDL cholesterol levels, triglycerides levels, blood pressure levels and glucose metabolism, according to a new study..

Diet soda tied to stroke risk, but reasons unclear

It's far from definitive proof, but new research raises concern about diet soda, finding higher risks for stroke and heart attack among people who drink it everyday versus those who drink no soda at all.
The beverage findings should be "a wakeup call to pay attention to diet sodas," said Dr. Steven Greenberg. He is a Harvard Medical School neurologist and vice chairman of the International Stroke Conference in California, where the research was presented on Wednesday.
A simple solution, health experts say, is to drink water instead
.More Info..

Mediterranean diet keeps the brain fit: Study

A new study has revealed that a Mediterranean diet could be the secret to keeping your brain in good working order in old age.
A diet rich in fruit, vegetables and olive oil means that you are less likely to struggle with everyday tasks as they age, the research said.

Why Do People Follow The Diet??

Similar to automobile, our body consists of dissimilar elements and our heart is the engine's tank. The gas we make use of keep our heart and additional body parts functional makes a difference in our routine regardless of who we are. The Mediterranean diet is considered sufficient enough to keep our body parts running in the best possible condition.