The Mediterranean “healing” diet has long been considered the pinnacle of healthy eating: among residents
What is the Mediterranean Diet?
Key Features of the Mediterranean Dietare that it is low in saturated fat, sugar and highly processed foods. This meets USDA health guidelines.
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There is evidence that the Mediterranean dietalso promotes effective weight loss. Fresh, fibrous foods and diets high in lean protein tend to be filling, which can help a person avoid overeating and maintain a healthy weight.
How does the Mediterranean diet affect cancer?
Research has shown that foods rich inAnti-inflammatory and antioxidant (carotenoids and lycopene) foods found in the Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer. In particular, doctors recommend using extra virgin olive oil.
Less consumption of meat and dairyfoods, including those associated with the Mediterranean diet, may be useful in preventing a number of types of cancer. Animal products, often high in saturated fat and cooked at high temperatures, increase the risk of colorectal cancer, stomach cancer and prostate cancer in particular.
Cardiovascular health
According to a 2015 study, highConsumption of vegetables, fruits, nuts and legumes also has a positive effect on reducing cardiometabolic risk. Also, the combination of these factors can improve the health of those who already have heart problems.
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The impact of the Mediterranean diet on otherscardiovascular factors such as hip-to-waist ratio, lipids, and inflammatory markers are overwhelmingly positive, making it a wise choice for those at risk for or suffering from cardiovascular disease.
Maintaining a healthy weight
Although the Mediterranean diet has demonstratedactual results in both cancer prevention and cardiovascular disease treatment, both of which are often influenced by a person's overall weight. One study found that in adults aged 55-75, the diet was particularly effective in reducing abdominal fat in younger participants with a higher BMI.
Satiety is an important factor for healthy weight loss,A Mediterranean diet's inclusion of high-fiber foods, such as cruciferous vegetables, legumes and whole grains, will help a person feel fuller for a longer period of time. Hunger control is an effective way to reduce overeating, promoting effective weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight.
Mediterranean diet and aging
Previous studies on the potential cognitive benefits of the Mediterranean diet have shown mixed results.
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According to the US National Center on Aging,By protecting against cardiovascular disease, the Mediterranean diet may indirectly reduce the risk of dementia. This is because plaque buildup in the arteries (atherosclerosis), strokes, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and diabetes increase the risk of dementia. A healthy diet reduces the likelihood of these conditions. But everything turned out to be not so simple.
Why were scientists wrong?
Swedish researchers do not completelyrefute this idea. Scientists have simply found that diet itself does not have a noticeable effect on the course of cognitive function in later life.
Rather, it can be considered as one factor; VTogether with others, it can affect the development of dementia. This includes regular exercise, quitting smoking, drinking alcohol only in moderation, and constantly monitoring your blood pressure.
In particular, data indicatethat regular physical activity and constant blood pressure monitoring protect against cognitive decline. Most likely, these factors have an even greater impact on improving cognitive function than diet.
How did the study go?
As part of a new experiment, experts studieddata for approximately 28 000 people. In the 1990s, they took part in a study by Swedish scientists who wanted to find out the relationship between diet and cancer. At the time, all subjects were on average 58 years old and regularly provided data on their diet in the form of a weekly food diary, a detailed questionnaire about the frequency and quantity of consumption of various foods, and were interviewed about their eating habits. Based on this information, the research team “rated” each participant on how closely they adhered to standard Swedish dietary recommendations or a specific version of the Mediterranean diet.
Over the next 20 years1,943 people, or 6.9% of participants, were diagnosed with some form of dementia. We are talking about two types of cognitive impairment - dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, which occurs due to poor blood flow to the brain.
It turned out that participants who adhered toThe traditional Swedish diet or the Mediterranean diet did not have a lower incidence of any type of dementia than participants who did not follow either diet plan. The experts also found no connection between diet and a specific marker of Alzheimer's disease, which they tested in approximately 740 participants with cognitive decline.
What's the bottom line?
Overall, the study refutes the specific impact of diet on cognitive function. But, like similar work that has been done in the past, it has its limitations.
One of the problems for such a longresearch is that dietary habits cannot be tracked over the entire period to assess potential changes. Thus, the results are challenged by potential confounders such as changing dietary habits, lifestyle changes, or new comorbidities over time. It is also undeniable that the participants in the study may have been cunning when they kept a food diary.
However, given the importance of proper nutrition on other health factors, it is important to follow a healthy diet. And yet it cannot be considered a panacea.
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