Tag Archives: diabetes

Metabolism and Metabolic Disease

Mediterranean Diet Associated with Decreased Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

The Mediterranean diet has been shown to bestow countless health benefits to those who consume it, including cardiovascular benefits, mental health benefits, and metabolic health benefits. Metabolic

Photo by Flickr user Mike Denver (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nokolor/268292175)
Photo by Flickr user Mike Denver (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nokolor/268292175)

syndrome is of particular interest to researchers, as there have been significant increases in the various components of the condition (high blood pressure, high sugar levels, excess body weight, and abnormal cholesterol levels) in the recent years which is very likely to be related to dietary changes across all cultures.

A new study in press in the journal Metabolism aimed to examine the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and metabolic syndrome in Polish adults.

8821 Polish adults (aged 45-69 years) participated in this study. Dietary information was collected via self-reported questionnaire and adherence to the Mediterranean diet was scored using the MedTypeDiet Score system.

Height, weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure measurements were taken for each participant during a physical examination.

Other socio-demographic and lifestyle information was also collected.

Important Findings:

  • Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was the same between men and women.
  • MetTypeDiet scores were significantly (and negatively) associated with waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and triglyceride levels.
  • Those with the highest adherence to the Mediterranean diet were least likely to have metabolic syndrome, obesity, high triglyceride levels, and hypertension.
  • Moderate wine consumption, low dairy intake, and a high unsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio were negatively associated with metabolic syndrome.

The results of this study add to the mounting evidence that the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for lowering the risk of metabolic

Photo by Flickr user waferboard (http://www.flickr.com/photos/waferboard/3273636749)
Photo by Flickr user waferboard (http://www.flickr.com/photos/waferboard/3273636749)

disease. Specifically, this study found that those with the high adherence to the Mediterranean diet were less likely to have metabolic syndrome, obesity, high triglyceride levels, and hypertension. Looking at individual dietary components, moderate wine consumption, low dairy intake and a higher ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids resulted in a significantly lower risk of developing metabolic syndrome in Polish adults.

Source:

Grosso, G., Stepaniak, U., Micek, A., Topor-Mądry, R., Stefler, D., Szafraniec, K., Bobak, M., and Pająk, A. 2015. A Mediterranean-type diet is associated with better metabolic profile in urban Polish adults: Results from the HAPIEE study. Metabolism http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2015.02.007

News

Wine, Mediterranean Diet, and Your Health News for 02/27/2015

red winePlease click on the links below to read the full articles.

Wine

Alcohol

Olives & Olive Oil

Mediterranean Diet & Healthy Eating

Nuts & Beans

Metabolism and Metabolic Disease

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Associated with Lower Risk of Mortality and Death in Diabetes Patients

We’ve seen over and over again that the Mediterranean diet is associated with improved health over many systems, including the cardiovascular system, nervous system, and digestive system (just to name a few). Specifically here on this blog, we’ve seen studies showing that the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for reducing the

Photo by Flickr user Oskar Annermarken (https://www.flickr.com/photos/oskarannermarken/6347508912)
Photo by Flickr user Oskar Annermarken (https://www.flickr.com/photos/oskarannermarken/6347508912)

risk of depression in people with diabetes, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet results in a 23% reduced risk in developing Type 2 diabetes.

A new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology aimed to take the research on the Mediterranean diet and diabetes a step further, and examined the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and mortality in people with diabetes.

1995 Italian adults with diabetes participated in this study. Food consumption habit information was collected by using self-reported questionnaires, after which results were given Greek Mediterranean Diet scores. Participants were followed for a total of 4 years.

Important Findings:

  • After 4 years, 109 patients had died (51 of them due to cardiovascular factors).
  • A 2 point increased in the Greek Mediterranean Diet Score was associated with an average 37% decrease in overall mortality in patients with diabetes.
  • A similar association was found when only those with cardiovascular mortality were the focus of analysis.
  • Adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet reduced the risk of death in diabetes patients.
  • The individual factors in the Mediterranean diet that contributed to this decreased risk of death and overall mortality in diabetes patients were:
    • Moderate alcohol consumption.
    • High consumption of cereals.
    • High consumption of vegetables.
    • Reduced consumption of meat and dairy products.

Overall, the results of this study suggest that for those people with

Photo by Flickr user Kai Hendry (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hendry/2848365145)
Photo by Flickr user Kai Hendry (https://www.flickr.com/photos/hendry/2848365145)

diabetes, adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet reduces the risk of mortality and death. Specifically, moderate consumption of alcohol, as well as high consumption of cereal and vegetables and low consumption of meat and dairy products were all associated with this reduced risk of mortality and death in diabetes patients.

Source:

Bonaccio, M., Di Castelnuovo, A., Costanzo, S., Persichillo, M., De Curtis, A., Donati, M.B., de Gaetano, G., and Iacoviello, L. 2015. Adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet and mortality in subjects with diabetes. Prospective results from the MOLI-SANI study. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology DOI: 10.1177/2047487315569409

Cardiovascular Health

Daily Olive Oil Supplementation Improves Coronary Artery Disease Risk

Olive oil has been implicated over and over again in prevention of

Photo by Flickr user USDA (http://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/6896388410)
Photo by Flickr user USDA (http://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/6896388410)

cardiovascular disease in many populations. Research has found that the oleic acid and other phenolics in the olive oil contributes to lowered cardiovascular disease risk, specifically interacting with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and other urinary proteomic biomarkers.

A new study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition aimed to evaluate whether or not supplementing a person’s diet with olive oil had any effect on various urinary proteomic biomarkers for coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes. Additionally, two olive oil treatments were compared: one with low levels of phenolics or one with high levels of phenolics.

69 healthy people participated in this study and were randomly assigned supplementation with either high phenolic olive oil, or low phenolic olive oil. Supplementation occurred daily over a period of 6 weeks. Daily doses were 20mL.

Low phenolic olive oil was categorized as containing 18mg caffeic acid equivalents per kg, while high phenolic olive oil was categorized as containing 286mg caffeic acid equivalents per kg.

Urinary proteomic biomarkers, blood lipids, antioxidant capacity, and glycation markers were measured were measured at baseline, 3 weeks, and 6 weeks after daily olive oil supplementation.

Important Findings

  • Daily supplementation of both olive oils reduced biomarker levels for coronary artery disease.
  • Daily supplementation of both olive oils had no influence on biomarker levels of chronic kidney disease or diabetes.
  • There were no significant differences in reduction of disease biomarkers between olive oil with low levels of phenolics versus olive oil with high levels of phenolics.

The results of this study indicate that supplementation with olive oil improved coronary artery disease risk based on urinary proteomic

Photo by Flickr user Smabs Sputzer (http://www.flickr.com/photos/10413717@N08/6825479819)
Photo by Flickr user Smabs Sputzer (http://www.flickr.com/photos/10413717@N08/6825479819)

biomarkers in healthy adults. On the other hand, olive oil supplementation did not seem to influence chronic kidney disease or diabetes risk based on urinary proteomic biomarkers.

Finally, there were no significant differences between the high and low phenolic doses of olive oil supplements, indicating that low dose of 18mg caffeic acid/kg is just as good as a high dose of 286mg caffeic acid per kg in reducing coronary artery disease risk.

Source:

Silva, S., Bronze, M.R., Figueira, M.E., Siwy, J., Mischak, H., Combet, E., and Mullen, W. 2015. Impact of a 6-wk olive oil supplementation in healthy adults on urinary proteomic biomarkers of coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes (types 1 and 2): a randomized, parallel, controlled, double-blind study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: ajcn.114.094219v1101/1/44.

Metabolism and Metabolic Disease

Mediterranean Diet May Significantly Reduce Fatty Liver Disease Risk

Fatty liver disease is a metabolic condition that has been liked to type 2 diabetes as well as cardiovascular diseases. Specifically, fatty

Photo courtesy pixabay.com
Photo courtesy pixabay.com

liver disease is a known risk factor for these diseases, making care and prevention of the disease of utmost important in a world where type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease are all too prevalent in society.

A healthy diet, like a Mediterranean-style diet, has been often cited as a way to reduce the risk of fatty liver disease and associated diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

A new study published in the journal Current Opinion in Lipidology reviewed published research on the effects of diet on the risk of fatty liver disease from March 2013 through August 2014. A total of 5 peer-reviewed studies were published during this time period and used for analysis.

Important Findings:

Continue reading Mediterranean Diet May Significantly Reduce Fatty Liver Disease Risk →