The Mediterranean diet (MD) blends the basics of healthy eating with traditional flavors in the countries that surround the Mediterranean. But don’t worry, you don’t have to travel any further than your local grocery store to discover it’s delicious flavors and fresh foods. Many fad diets are restrictive, requiring you to count calories or force you to omit a specific food group from your diet which is not sustainable, and luckily the MD is the opposite of that. The World Health Organization recognizes the MD as a healthy and sustainable dietary pattern. Interestingly, there is more to the mediterranean diet than just food. Sharing meals with family and friends, physical activity and relaxation are key components that individuals living in the Mediterraneans regions have followed for many years. In fact, the Mediterranean diet gained researcher’s interest in the 1960’s when certain populations within Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Spain and Italy were healthier than the nations of the developed world such as the U.S and northern Europe. Since then, there have been multiple studies that have shown the many health benefits it poses (more on that below). The foundation of the MD emphasizes the consumption of plant-based foods.
The Benefits of Following a Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthy eating plans recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to promote health. With the diet focusing heavily on consumption of plant-based foods, it has shown its role in the prevention of many chronic diseases and also for weight control (in conjunction with calorie restriction
Reduced Risk of Memory Problems & Dementia
Adherence to the Mediterrenean diet has shown reduced Alzheimer’s disease risk, and a lower rate of conversion from Mild Cognitive Impairment to Alzheimer’s disease.
A recent study concluded that Mediterranean diet adherence was associated with lower risk of cognitive impairment. They discovered that fish was the most important dietary factor in lowering the risk of cognitive impairment and vegetables were second best.
Reduced Risk of Stroke and Type II Diabetes
22 eligible studies revealed that following the Mediterranean Diet was consistently associated with reduced risk of stroke, depression and cognitive impairment. Concurrently, research results also showed cardiovascular risk factors are reduced: lower levels of unhealthy cholesterol as well higher levels of healthy cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and protective association with metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus and possibly obesity.
Research supports the use of the Mediterranean diet as a healthy eating pattern for increasing lifespan, healthy aging and for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. If you have any questions about this topic, or would like more information on what else you can do to promote a healthy lifestyle, reach out to a Health Coach at Triada.
References
Bach-Faig, A., Berry, E., Lairon, D., Reguant, J., Trichopoulou, A., Dernini, S., . . . Serra-Majem, L. (2011). Mediterranean diet pyramid today. Science and cultural updates. Public Health Nutrition, 14(12A), 2274-2284. doi:10.1017/S1368980011002515
Keenan, T. D., Agrón, E., Mares, J. A., Clemons, T. E., van Asten, F., Swaroop, A., Chew, E. Y., & AREDS and AREDS2 Research Groups (2020). Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and cognitive function in the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies 1 & 2. Alzheimer’s & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, 16(6), 831–842. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.12077
Lorgeril, M., Salen, P., Martin, J. L., Monjaud, I., Delaye, J., & Mamelle, N. (1999). Mediterranean diet, traditional risk factors, and the rate of cardiovascular complications after myocardial infarction: final report of the Lyon Diet Heart Study. Circulation, 99(6), 779–785. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.cir.99.6.779
Mediterranean Diet | Oldways. (2021). https://oldwayspt.org/traditional-diets/mediterranean-diet
Scarmeas, N., Stern, Y., Mayeux, R., Manly, J. J., Schupf, N., & Luchsinger, J. A. (2009). Mediterranean diet and mild cognitive impairment. Archives of neurology, 66(2), 216–225. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurol.2008.536
