Mediterranean Diet - What it Is and What it Isn't

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The British Medical Journal published on the 29th of May, 2008 also reported that the Mediterranean Diet provided a very sound protection against Type-2 diabetes. This study took a sample of 13,000 graduates from the University of Navarra in Spain who had no history of diabetes. It took the researchers a total of 8 years to get the 13,000 graduates population. All 13,000 participants were recommended the Mediterranean Diet. Every year the participants agreed to send in a detailed survey about their eating habits and lifestyle changes. New cases of diabetes were confirmed using medical reports. From the surveys it was reported that those people that stuck with the recommended Mediterranean Diet had a much lower risk of developing diabetes, the risk was actually reduced by 83% compared to the rest of the study that decided to deviate from the recommended diet plan.

Another study by the New England Journal of Medicine recently compared three popular types of slimming diets and rated them against their effectiveness in helping people lose weight. The study rated the Mediterranean Diet against the Low-Carb diet and the Low-Fat diet. The study was quite low budget so the results are not as conclusive as we would have liked. The study involved less than 400 people and was conducted over 2 years. The winner was the Low-Carb Diet at 12lbs average and the close second was the Mediterranean Diet at 10lbs. The loser of the bunch was the Low-Fat Diet which only showed an average loss of 7lbs.

The Health Benefits

The first thing that people will notice when they take up the Mediterranean Diet is that the diet actually has a lot of oil compared to any other diet that they may have taken before. The defining factor here is the use of olive oils as the major component of the oils in the diet. Olives have long been regarded as a health food and the oils are also imparted with similar properties. Olive oils are light containing mostly monounsaturated fats and with very small amounts of saturated fats. Its’ healthy oil profile along with its long established health benefits seem to overshadow any access consumption of it.

Another addition to the Mediterranean Diet that is not normally allowed in other diets is the red wine. The Mediterranean Diet calls for the low to moderate consumption of red wine. Much research has been done on the benefits of red wine and it can be safely said that the consumption of a couple of glasses of red wine will actually be beneficial to you in the long run. Red wine contained flavonoids, peptin and also has a myriad of anti-oxidant properties which are all beneficial to your health.

One of the important elements of the Mediterranean Diet is the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits in higher than average quantities. It has been shown that a diet that is rich in vegetables and fruits has many healthy effects. The first of which is providing enough vitamins and minerals for the healthy functioning of the body. Second is providing enough fibers and roughage that your digestive system is regularly detoxified with thorough movement of all digested foods.

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