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.

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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/