The Mediterranean diet, including olive oil and nuts, can help get rid of the so-called metabolic syndrome, which precedes the development of diabetes or heart disease, researchers reported last night.
Metabolic syndrome arises when an individual has three or more of these risk factors: central obesity (over a certain waist circumference), high blood pressure, high blood fats, raised high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high blood sugar.
Having the syndrome increases a person’ risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Several studies have shown that lifestyle changes such as increased exercise, a healthy diet, or weight loss can reverse metabolic syndrome. But it remains unclear whether different dietary patterns can affect it.
Researchers led by Dr Jordi Salas-Salvado from the University Hospital in Reus, Spain, looked at the long-term effects of an unrestricted Mediterranean diet, which focuses in vegetables, fruits, fish, meat and modest amounts of grains. They analysed figures from an earlier trial of 5,801 men and women aged 55 to 80 years, who were at high risk for cardiovascular disease.
They were randomly assigned to a Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet with nuts, or a low-fat diet.
During the five years of follow-up, half of the participants who did not have metabolic syndrome at the start developed the condition. The rate was similar among all of the dietary groups.
On the other hand, 28% of those who had metabolic syndrome at the start recovered during follow-up. Participants on either Mediterranean diet were significantly more likely to recover than those on the low-fat diet.
"Participants in the group receiving olive oil supplementation showed significant decreases in both central obesity and high fasting glucose; participants in the group supplemented with nuts showed a significant decrease in central obesity," said the team yesterday (14 October) in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Babio, N. et al. Mediterranean diets and metabolic syndrome status in the PREDIMED randomized trial. Canadian Medical Association Journal 14 October 2014 doi:10.1503/cmaj.140764 [abstract]
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