Mediterranean Diet Lowers Risk of Diabetes
Study Shows Mediterranean-style Diet can Protect against Diabetes
Aug 25, 2009
The Mediterranean diet is fast developing a reputation for the healthiest diet around. Already credited with preventing cardiovascular disease, possibly preventing asthma in small children, and protecting the skin against sun damage and wrinkles, it is now seen as a possible way to avoid developing Type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes mellitus is an increasingly important global public health problem that threatens to reach pandemic levels by 2030, according to the World Health Organization.
While losing weight and doing more exercise are promoted as ways to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, the researchers – Dr A Martinez-Gonzalez, professor of epidemiology and chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, and his colleagues – decided to investigate the role of diet. Their research was published in May in the British Medical Journal.
“Many studies have shown that the Mediterranean food pattern has a role in prevention of cardiovascular disease,” Dr Martinez-Gonzalez wrote in the study. “The similarity of some risk factors and some empirical and mechanistic evidence suggest that the Mediterranean diet can also protect against diabetes.”
Mediterranean Diet Low in Saturated Fat, High in Fiber
The classic Mediterranean diet is high in fiber from lots of vegetables and fruit, is low in fatty acids and trans-fatty acids, and allows a moderate amount of alcohol.
“Moreover, a particular feature of the diet is the abundant use of virgin olive oil for cooking, frying, spreading on bread, or dressing salads,” Dr Martinez-Gonzalez noted.
“Despite having a relatively high total fat content, this food pattern is rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids from olive oil, and poor in saturated fatty acid. This leads to a high ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids.”
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids Improve Glycaemic Control
Diets rich in monounsaturated fatty acids improve lipid profiles and glycaemic control in people with diabetes, suggesting that a high intake improves insulin sensitivity,” he wrote. “Together these associations suggest that following an overall pattern of the Mediterranean diet can protect against diabetes.”
Study Participants Show Benefit of Mediterranean Diet
The SUN study involved over 13,000 graduates from the University of Navarra with no history of diabetes. They were recruited between December 1999 and November 2007, and their dietary habits and health were tracked for over four years.
Participants initially completed a 136 item food frequency questionnaire designed to measure their entire diet. It also included questions on their use of fats and oils, cooking methods and dietary supplements.
Every two years participants were sent follow-up questionnaires on diet, lifestyle, risk factors, and medical conditions. New cases of diabetes were confirmed through medical reports.
When the results were analyzed at the end of the study, participants who stuck to the diet had a lower risk of diabetes than those who had strayed. Those who seriously adhered to the Mediterranean diet were rewarded with an 83% relative reduction in their risk of developing diabetes.
Mediterranean Diet Protects Against Type 2 Diabetes
Dr Martinez-Gonzalez noted that it was the participants with higher risk factors for developing diabetes who stuck most closely to the Mediterranean diet. These were people who were older, had a family history of diabetes, and many of them were ex-smokers.
This group was therefore expected to have a higher incidence of diabetes, but this was not the case, he said. In fact, they ended the study with a lower risk of diabetes, suggesting that “adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated not only with a reduced risk of diabetes “but that “the diet might provide substantial protection.”
You might also be interested in Diabetic Benefits of Black Tea and Mediterranean Diet Prevents Asthma
 |
 |
