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.
Consumption of nuts has been linked to many health benefits, including benefits to memory, appetite, and cardiovascular health.
Photo by Flickr user Iain Buchanan (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaeden/111015656)
Part of the Mediterranean diet, nuts are considered an important part of daily consumption, and is frequently recommended to those without specific allergies.
A new study in the journal Preventative Medicine has examined the effect of nut consumption on. peripheral arterial disease. While nut consumption is linked to lower risk of certain cardiovascular diseases, the association with the specific cardiovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, is unknown.
This study followed 3,312,403 Americans between 2003 and 2008 who had voluntarily undergone vascular screening tests. Average age was 63.6 +/- 10.6 years, with 62.8% of participants being women, and 86.2% being white.
Nut consumption, diet, and other lifestyle habits were determined for each participant using self-reported questionnaires.
Diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease for participants was determined using systolic blood pressure measurements in both ankles.
Hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and hypertension were determined by physician diagnosis.
Important Findings:
Out of 3,312,403 participants, there were 219,527 cases of peripheral arterial disease (6.7%).
About half of the study population ate nuts fewer than once per week.
There was a negative association between nut consumption and presence of peripheral arterial disease.
Daily nut consumption was associated with 21% lower odds of developing peripheral arterial disease compared with folks consuming nuts less than once per month.
The results of this study suggest that nut consumption reduces the risk of peripheral arterial disease. Specifically, eating nuts every day lowered the risk of developing peripheral arterial disease by 21%
Photo by Flickr user Gilles Gonthier (https://www.flickr.com/photos/gillesgonthier/507725888/)
compared with people who ate nuts less than once per month.
The huge sample size in this study strengthens the results, though the self-reporting nature of these kinds of lifestyle questions could skew the results slightly. Regardless, these results show promise that a daily nut regime might help reduce the risk of peripheral arterial disease.
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