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)