Pasta is part of a healthy Mediterranean Diet says study!!

Hey pasta lovers, a new study finds that noodles may not be so bad for your waistline after all.

The study, from researchers at IRCCS Neuromed Institute in Pozzilli, Italy, explored the potential health benefits of eating pasta. Though the Mediterranean diet has been much touted for its health benefits, with many in the region consuming high levels of fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, olive oil and similarly healthful foods, pasta — another major food in the Mediterranean — has often been overlooked or associated with weight gain.

When researchers looked at the data of more than 23,000 Italians, they found that moderate pasta consumption was associated with less abdominal obesity, a healthy body mass index and a lower waist circumference. Researchers didn't specify how much pasta constituted a "moderate level," though they did conclude that the Mediterranean diet in moderation, pasta included, is good for health.

North Jersey Health News

Mediterranean Diet with EVOO Reduces Cognitive Decline in Older Age!!

By Jedha Dening




The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) has long been considered one of the world’s healthiest dietary patterns, so researchers Knight, Bryan, and Murphy set out to review the evidence surrounding the MedDiet, along with the contemporary Western diet, and their associations with age-related cognitive decline. They also sought to determine if it could be a feasible intervention strategy to recommend the MedDiet to those currently consuming a Western dietary pattern.

Obesity is associated with a 70-100% increased risk of dementia. It is fairly well established that the Western diet is a major contributor to the growing rates of obesity. The authors suggest that “it is now becoming evident that the clinical problems related to obesity are translating to effects on brain physiology and function.” There is also a consensus that particular nutrients such as saturated, trans fats and refined sugars contribute to age-related cognitive function and neurodegenerative disease via biological mechanisms including inflammation, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance.

As far as an association between the MedDiet and cognitive decline, several longitudinal, three cross-sectional, and two randomized trials assessed in the review did show a general consensus that adhering to a MedDiet improves mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s and dementia. However, due to the nature of the majority of the longitudinal studies being performed in the same cohort of participants, the authors suggest that these results may not be applicable to the wider population.

The two randomized control trials, the only two in this area to date, have shown that consuming a MedDiet with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) does, in fact, improve cognitive function.

The first trial published in the Journal of Neurology, Neuroscience & Psychiatry, 2013, selected 552 participants with cardiovascular disease to conduct a 5 year trial with a mean follow-up of 6.5 years. Participants were randomized to a low-fat diet or a MedDiet supplemented with EVOO or mixed nuts. The MedDiet group had significantly higher global cognitive scores compared to the low-fat group.

The second trial, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015, selected 447 participants with high cardiovascular risk who were randomly allocated to either a MedDiet supplemented with EVOO; MedDiet supplemented with mixed nuts; or a control low-fat diet. Participants were required to undergo a series of cognitive tests 4.1 years after the intervention. Overall the MedDiet+EVOO scored significantly higher for two of the tests compared to both groups. The MedDiet+EVOO group and MedDiet+mixed nuts saw significant respective changes from baseline in memory, frontal (attention and executive functions), and global function compared to the control group.

Though there are likely many synergistic effects of the MedDiet in its influence on improved cognitive function, researchers claim that the inclusion of olive oil, particularly because of it’s high levels of caffeic acid and tyrosol, reduces markers of inflammation in the central nervous system and has the ability to suppress neuroinflammation in the brain.

Overall the research does suggest that a MedDiet is the best strategy to recommend to people who want to decrease their rate of cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s, dementia, or mild cognitive impairment. Still, while this may be the case, researchers do suggest that due to socio-cultural values, norms, food availability, cost, palatability, and food access, getting people to change their dietary patterns can often be difficult to achieve. They suggest that a more “Westernized” MedDiet intervention could be a more feasible long-term approach worth exploring in future research.


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The Mediterranean Diet is not only Healthy but also better for the Environment.

The Mediterranean diet has been lauded as one of the healthiest diets in the world because of its high consumption of vegetables, legumes, fruits and olive oil, and low intake of animal protein.
A recent study has revealed that the diet predominant in Mediterranean countries creates a much smaller carbon footprint than the standard diets of countries like the United States and the United Kingdom.

The study conducted by a team of five Spanish researchers from the University Hospital Complex of Huelva, Jaume I University of Castellón and the University of Huelva, analyzed the contents of meals served at Juan Ramón Jiménez Hospital in Huelva, southwestern Spain. The menus of 448 lunches and 448 dinners, each totaling 2,000 calories, were analyzed over a period of four seasons.

The study concluded that diet has a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions, with a Mediterranean diet being associated with a lower environmental impact than diets dominated by meat.

In 2006, a United Nations report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concluded that the meat industry is one of the most significant contributors to environmental problems and that meat production is responsible for 18 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, more than transportation.




Olive Oil Times 

Mediterranean Diet Reduces Hot Flashes

Healthy eating can positively impact our lives in many ways such as weight loss, increased energy or better blood pressure. A recent study published this May in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that a diet that includes fruits and Mediterranean-style foods can decrease the risk of night sweats and hot flashes in women going through menopause. The Australian-based research looked at 6 types of diets and how they impacted the menopausal symptoms of over 6,000 women, concluding that fruits and Mediterranean food decreased symptoms. Further conclusions of the study state that a diet high in fat and sugar actually increase the risk of women developing vasomotor menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats.

Professors of the Harvard School for Public Health recommend the Mediterranean nutritional approach for both men and women due to the benefits of reducing risk of heart attack and stroke. This diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, whole grains, and healthy fats from olive oil and nuts. You certainly don't need to be from the Mediterranean to "Feel Better and Live Longer!" Follow these nutrition tips to experience the benefits of the Mediterranean diet in your own home town.

• Consume four or more servings of both fruits and vegetables a day.

• Eat one or more servings of beans or nuts per day.

• Enjoy fish at least 2 times a week.

• Make all of your grains whole grains.

• Limit yourself to 1 glass of wine, beer or alcohol a day.

Nourish your way to better health, and enjoy the health benefits!





Jody Anderson, RN, CHC
Succeed Health, LLC- Algoma
http://www.succeedhealth.com

Mediterranean diet has long term positive effects

Even if people have regained some weight several years after going on a healthful Mediterranean or low-carbohydrate diet, they can enjoy lasting beneficial effects, according to a follow-up study at Dimona’s Nuclear Research Center and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba.

The study, published last week as a peer-reviewed letter in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, updates the landmark diet study carried out on 322 moderately obese personnel in the workplace over a period of two years, and followed up four years after the end of the intervention. The original study was called DIRECT, for Dietary Intervention Randomized Controlled Trial.

Dr. Dan Schwarzfuchs of the Dimona center, where employees were put on diets and the results observed, said: “Our follow- up subsequent data shows lasting, positive effects of Mediterranean and low-carbohydrate diets six years later.”

BGU researchers Dr. Iris Shai and Rachel Golan added: “Data from trials comparing the effectiveness of weight-loss diets are frequently limited to the intervention period. The results after four years suggests that the lipid profile (lower cholesterol, triglycerides and arteriosclerosis) improved over the long term, regardless of partial regain.”

The Mediterranean diet of low meat intake and high consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, pulses and olive oil, as well as the low-carb diet, had a beneficial effect even though the participants regained some weight. But people on a low-fat diet did not have the same consistent and beneficial results.

Four years after the trial was concluded, participants had regained an average of almost 2.7 kg. Since the beginning of the trial, participants who followed the Mediterranean diet lost an average of 3.1 kg., while those on the low-carb diet lost 1.7 kg. Thus the Mediterranean diet was significantly more effective.

After four years post-intervention, more than two-thirds (67 percent) of the DIRECT participants had continued with their original assigned diet, 11% switched to another diet and 22% were not dieting at all.

The researchers also found that after six years, the highdensity lipoprotein (HDL or “good cholesterol”)/low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad cholesterol”) ratio remained significantly lower only in the low-carbohydrate diet. Triglyceride (another potential harmful blood fat) levels remained significantly lower in the Mediterranean and low-carbohydrate diets.

The researchers are now performing a new long-term dietary intervention trial that targets weight-loss mechanisms relating to other different dietary strategies, including novel techniques.

jpost

Mediterranean diet helps protect bones‎,says recent study

By DR. SWATI SHROFF, ABC News Medical Unit

Could olive oil be the new milk? A new study suggests that this might be the case — though not all health experts are convinced yet.

The study, which looked at 127 elderly Spanish men, found that those who ate a Mediterranean diet enriched with olive oil had higher levels of a protein called osteocalcin that plays a role in bone formation. The research was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

This could be an important finding since osteoporosis is the most common bone disease in the United States, affecting more than 10 million people. Osteoporosis mainly affects elderly women, but men can develop the disease too. In 2005, there were an estimated 2 million osteoporosis-related fractures, 29 percent them in men.

Earlier studies have found that there are lower rates of osteoporosis in the Mediterranean basin, compared to the rest of Europe, and that may have something to do with the Mediterranean diet. This diet consists of minimally processed fruits, vegetables, breads, beans, nuts and seeds. Olive oil is supposed to be the main source of fat, and there is usually limited dairy, egg, and red meat.

Past studies have suggested that the Mediterranean diet has the potential to lower cardiovascular risk, increase weight loss, lower cancer risk, improve diabetes, and reduce pain and swollen joints in rheumatoid arthritis. What if improved bone health could be added to this growing list?

“We have more evidence that what is good for health in one way, tends to be good for health overall,” says Dr. David Katz, director of Yale University Prevention Research Center. “The very same Mediterranean diet known to be good for cardiovascular health may also confer benefits on your bones.”

However, Dr. Beth Kitchin, a patient educator at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Osteoporosis Clinic, cautions that osteocalcin is simply a marker of bone health — in other words, the new study doesn’t actually look at whether the Mediterranean diet increased bone density or lowered fracture risk.

“This is very interesting data but much, much more work needs to be done before you can say if this has a true clinical impact on bone health,” says Kitchin.

On this point, Katz agrees. “This is not a study of bone density, or clinical effects; it is a short-term study of biomarkers. Interesting, but [it is] more useful for hypothesis generation than anything else.”

Nutritionists were also quick to point out that this study shouldn’t undermine the importance of calcium and vitamin D in bone health.

“It doesn’t replace calcium and vitamin D in the diet, however,” says Keith-Thomas Ayoob, a dietician and professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “But including all three, and regular exercise, are showing promise as the best way to ensure good bone health.

“I was brought up on a high-olive oil [Mediterranean] diet. It’s how we ate. But not much milk or calcium-containing foods, and my elders paid a price for it.”

ABC News Medical Unit

Mediterranean diet can help women get pregnant, research suggests

Women wanting to get pregnant should eat a Mediterranean-style diet rich in avocados and olive oil but light in dairy and meat, an IVF conference has heard.

New research indicates a diet containing lots of monounsaturated fat - found in the fleshy green fruit, olive oil, as well as peanuts, almonds and cashews - can as much as triple the chance of success in women resorting to fertility treatment to conceive.

Specialists believe such a diet could help the majority of women wanting to get pregnant naturally as well.

By contrast eating lots of saturated fat, found in dairy products and red meat, appears to damage women's fertility, the Daily Telegraph reported. High saturated fat intake has already been linked to lower sperm counts.

Dr Jorge Chavarro and colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health in the United States, looked at how intake of different types of fats affected success of IVF treatment in 147 women, mostly in their 30s.

They found the women who ate the most monounsaturated fat had up to three times the chance of giving birth via IVF as those who ate the least.

Specifically the top third, who derived on average 25 per cent of their calories from monounsaturated fat, has three times the chance of success compared to the bottom third, who derived on average nine per cent of their calories from it.

However, those who ate the most saturated fat produced two fewer eggs suitable for test-tube fertilisation than those who ate the least - nine compared to 11.

Dr Chavarro said: "As far as the best fat profile is concerned, this is the fat profile that you would find in a Mediterranean diet."

However, he cautioned that the study was very small and the findings needed to be replicated in larger numbers before firm advice could be issued.

Nonetheless, he continued: "Even though we don't know for sure if it will be of benefit, we do know it won't be harmful."

This was because numerous studies had shown Mediterranean-style diets to have a protective effect on health, particularly regarding heart disease.

The Harvard study also looked at the role of polyunsaturated fats, commonly thought to be healthy.

They found that - perhaps unexpectedly - women with higher intakes of polyunsaturated fats tended to have lower quality eggs.

But Dr Jorge, a nutritionist and epidemiologist, explained there were different types of polyunsaturated fats - some that could hinder fertility and others that could help.

He said the women in the study tended to eat lots of omega-six polyunsaturates, found in corn and canola oils.

He believed omega-three polyunsaturates, found in oily fish like salmon, were not harmful to fertility.

Women hoping to conceive should not stop eating them, he said.

The study, presented this week at the annual meeting of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology in Istanbul, was not big enough to tease out the differences between the two types, he added.

Exactly why different types of fat have different effects on fertility is currently unclear, although Dr Chavarro said they were "known to have different effects on biological processes which may influence the outcome of assisted reproduction".

Richard Kennedy, general secretary of the International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS), commented: "We know that many lifestyle activities can make it harder to conceive.

"This work reinforces the need for a good lifestyle for those trying to have a baby; eat and drink in moderation, and don't smoke." AGENCIES. 

More Info: TodayOnline

Why the Mediterranean diet is good for your health and the environment

People who wish to eat healthy should consider the Mediterranean diet, according to a report released on Earth Day.

The report “Eating Planet,” released by the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition (BCFN) and published in collaboration with Worldwatch Institute, particularly recommended the Mediterranean way to populations in developing countries.

The report said the Mediterranean diet not only had high nutritional value, but also contributed to protecting the environment. It pointed out that food items recommended by nutritionists to be eaten more often—fruits, vegetables, bread, rice, pasta and legumes—had a lower impact on the environment. These items are the mainstay of the Mediterranean diet.

The report noted that, in developing countries, rising average incomes were affecting dietary choices. In view of this, it stressed that “it is important to provide access to and education about healthy foods like fruits and vegetables before bad eating habits develop into deep-rooted cultural practices.”

Proper nutrition, the report said, should be assured for infants and children to “greatly improve overall health later in life.” A balanced diet, coupled with an active lifestyle, could minimize the risks of overweight, obesity, tumors, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, the report said.

The report also said governments should address the lack of transparency and responsibility in the commercial exchange of food around the world to improve universal access to food. “This means, for instance, ensuring that production of crops to be used as biofuels does not interfere with the cultivation of crops for food,” it said.

The report emphasized, “The food system must encourage ‘sustainable well-being,’ or the idea that people’s current well-being should not be achieved at the expense of the happiness or prosperity of future generations.”

Realistic food prices

To ensure sufficient food supplies, “Eating Planet” said agriculture should remain a viable and sustainable source of livelihood. Farmers should be able to ask realistic prices for their products.

It said, “In many countries, food prices are kept artificially low because they do not take into account the environmental impacts of producing food, the high medical costs associated with long-term unhealthy eating habits, the costs required to pay farmers and farm workers a decent living wage plus benefits, and the billions of dollars in government subsidies that farmers receive to grow certain commodities.

“If farmers could charge real prices for the food they grow, consumers, especially in wealthy countries, would reconsider the impacts of their various food choices.”

The report said some 30 percent of food was wasted worldwide, while one billion people went to bed hungry each night and another one billion suffered from health problems related to obesity. Agriculture contributed one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions that were causing global warming or the rise in average temperatures.

“Eating Planet” is a collaboration between BCFN and Worldwatch Institute’s Nourishing the Planet project, an evaluation of environmentally sustainable solutions to alleviate hunger and poverty. It will be available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes starting tomorrow, April 26. For more details and updates, visit www.barillacfn.com/en.

lifestyle inquirer

The Mediterranean Diet boosts the Brain

We’ve long talked about the Mediterranean diet as heart-healthy. But a new study shows that it’s “brain-healthy” too.
According to the research, the diet may help protect against brain blood-vessel damage, which in turn cuts the risk of stroke and memory loss.
The diet has long been shown to lower the risk of heart ailments such as stroke and heart disease, as well as cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. It consists largely of vegetables, fruit, fish, whole grains, nuts, olive oil and moderate consumption of alcohol, with limited intake of red meat, sweets and refined grains such as white bread.



The study, which was published in the Archives of Neurology, was the first to look at how the diet affects the brain.
The researchers, from the University of Miami and Columbia University, looked at food surveys filled out by nearly 1,000 subjects in a larger, ongoing Northern Manhattan Study and categorized the groups based on how much their diets resembled a typical Mediterranean-style one.
They then used magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, scans of the subjects’ brains to look for damage to small blood vessels that causes so-called silent strokes, which do not cause immediate symptoms but build up over time to hurt cognitive performance.



The results generally showed that the people who scored highest for adherence to the Mediterranean diet had the lowest amount of blood vessel damage. Also, the people who ate more of the kind of fat found in olive oil showed less of the damage to their small blood vessels.
The study does not demonstrate that a Mediterranean-style diet causes less brain damage, so more study is needed. But it may help protect small blood vessels in the brain.

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.