The Mediterranean diet is frequently touted as being highly beneficial toward human health, however, some studies have
Photo courtesy wikimedia.com (Public Domain)
suggested that in the locations where this type of diet originated, adherence has dropped as more people adopt a more Western-style diet.
A new study in the journal Nutrition aimed to examine adherence to the Mediterranean diet by Greek youths and to attempt to understand possible trends by comparing adherence to a variety of demographic, lifestyle, and socio-economic factors.
A total of 525 Greek youths living in Athens or Heraklion, between the ages of 12 and 18, were included in this study.
Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was determined by questionnaires. Other data used in the analysis included: gender, age, height, weight, place of residence, parents education, parents employment, family structure, number of times “going out” per week, hobbies, TV watching, and sleeping habits.
Important Findings:
21% of Greek youths had a strong adherence to the Mediterranean diet.
Strong adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with:
Mother’s educational level.
Living with both parents.
Living in a smaller city.
Weak adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with:
Using the computer 4 or more hours per day.
A lack of physical activity.
There was no correlation with adherence to the Mediterranean diet and body mass index.
The results of this study show that only 21% of Greek youths maintain a relatively strict Mediterranean diet. Youths with mothers
Photo By Fredler Brave (Fredler Brave; uploaded to Wikipedia) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commonshaving higher education levels, youths living with both parents, and youths living in a smaller city all seemed to correlate positively with strong adherence to the Mediterranean diet, while youths with mothers who had lower educational levels resulted in a poor adherence to the Mediterranean diet.
Not included in this study was economic information, which, as we’ve seen in previous studies, may also have a strong influence on adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Economic factors could also have associations with the factors in this study shown to have influence on Mediterranean diet adherence.
The Mediterranean diet is frequently touted as having many heart healthy benefits to those who stick to it. Specifically, research has
Photo By Bill Branson (Photographer) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commonsshown that adherence to the Mediterranean diet improves lipid profiles, including increased “good” cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and reduced “bad” cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), reduced triglycerides, and reduced total cholesterol.
A new study in the journal Revista Española deCardiología aimed to add more evidence to the growing pile by exploring the dietary patterns of Spanish adults and associations with their plasma lipid profiles.
A total of 1290 Spanish adults were included in this study. Diet and exercise patterns were determined by self-reported questionnaires. Previous hospitalizations and family disease history were also collected.
Blood and urine samples were collected and analyzed for: fasting serum glucose, total glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting serum insulin, and whole blood glycated hemoglobin.
Important Findings:
Greater adherence to a Western-style diet (more red meats, sweets, fast-food, etc.) was associated with the lowest levels of “good” cholesterol, and the highest levels of “bad” cholesterol.
Greater adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet (more veggies, fish, nuts, olive oil, etc) was associated with higher levels of “good” cholesterol, and a lower ratio of triglycerides to “good” cholesterol.
The results of this study add to the growing mountain of evidence
Photo by Flickr user ebruli (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrbling/42712771)
supporting the benefits of the Mediterranean diet on heart health. According to these results, Spanish adults with good adherence to the Mediterranean diet had better plasma lipid profiles than those sticking to a Western-style diet. Specifically, those eating a Mediterranean diet had greater levels of “good” cholesterol compared with those eating a Western-style diet.
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