Tag Archives: Mediterranean diet

Mediterranean diet may slow psoriasis disease progression

Posted on August 3, 2018 | Comments Off on Mediterranean diet may slow psoriasis disease progression

From MedicalNewsToday:

A new study suggests that adhering to a Mediterranean diet may relieve the severity of psoriasis and slow its progression.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects about 6.7 million adults in the United States, according to recent estimates.

Some studies have shown that people with psoriasis are more prone to obesity and metabolic syndrome, and some have suggested that inflammation may be the reason behind this link.

Diet can play a key role in inflammatory conditions. Research has shown that pro-inflammatory compounds including saturated fats can worsen conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

So, researchers led by Dr. Céline Phan — at the Hôpital Mondor in Créteil, France — set out to investigate whether conversely, an anti-inflammatory diet would have appeasing effects on symptoms of psoriasis.

The Mediterranean diet is considered anti-inflammatory because it has been associated with a lower incidence of chronic inflammatory illness.

Source: Psoriasis: Mediterranean diet may slow disease progression

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Bob Harper of “Biggest Lose” Fame Switches to Mediterranean Diet After His Heart Attack 

Posted on February 23, 2018 | Comments Off on Bob Harper of “Biggest Lose” Fame Switches to Mediterranean Diet After His Heart Attack 

Exercise is clearly health-promoting, but it’s unlikely to keep you alive forever. Immortality is over-rated anyway.

The traditional diet consumed in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, has been adopted all over the world because of its health benefits. The most recent convert? Bob Harper, the fitness trainer on “The Biggest Loser.

Harper, 51, recently switched to the Mediterranean diet, per doctor’s orders, after suffering a massive heart attack late February, according to POPSUGAR. He collapsed in a New York City gym and was unconscious for two days. While Harper obviously lives a healthy lifestyle, the POPSUGAR report points out his mother died of a heart attack, and genetics can affect heart health.  It’s not a surprise Harper’s doctor’s would recommend the Mediterranean diet as a form of recovery. According to the Mayo Clinic, this traditional diet reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Source: ‘The Biggest Loser’s’ Bob Harper Switches to Mediterranean Diet Post Heart Attack | PRODAY

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet

Two diet books in one

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Mediterranean and Paleo Diets May Reduce Incidence of Colon Polyps

Posted on August 18, 2016 | Comments Off on Mediterranean and Paleo Diets May Reduce Incidence of Colon Polyps

Colon cancer is one of several cancer types reduced by the Mediterranean diet. The diet may do so by preventing colon adenomas (aka colon polyps), which are precursors to cancer. Click the link at bottom for the full scientific report. A snippet:

“Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States. Rapidly increasing incidence rates in previously low-incidence populations in urban China and Japan and among male Polynesians in Hawaii have coincided with the adoption of a more westernized lifestyle by those populations. These changing incidence rates, along with studies of immigrant populations, point to a strong influence of diet and other lifestyle factors on CRC risk.”

Source: Paleolithic and Mediterranean Diet Pattern Scores and Risk of Incident, Sporadic Colorectal Adenomas

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Mediterranean Diet Reduces Inflammation in Type 2 Diabetes

Posted on May 26, 2016 | Comments Off on Mediterranean Diet Reduces Inflammation in Type 2 Diabetes

 

Santorini, Greek seaside

Santorini, Greek seaside

Markers of inflammation that circulate in our blood are linked to higher rates of type 2 diabetes.

One such marker is C-reactive protein: the higher the CRP, the greater the risk of T2 diabetes.

Another inflammatory marker is adiponectin, a protein secreted by fat cells. Adiponectin levels are inversely related to ongoing inflammation: higher levels of adiponectin indicate lower levels of inflammation. Folks with higher adiponectin levels are at lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Italian researchers affiliated with the MEDITA clinical trial took 215 men and women with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and randomized them to eat either a Mediterranean diet or a low-fat diet. Hemoglobin A1c and inflammatory markers were followed for up to eight years. (I’m not sure, but I think these were relatively mild diabetics from the get-go, probably with HgbA1c under 7%.)

At the end of year one, CRP dropped by 37% and adiponectin rose by 43% in the Mediterranean diet group. In other words, inflammatory markers moved in a healthful direction.

Levels in the low-fat group were unchanged.

For individual Mediterranean dieters who were deemed diet failures (HgbA1c over 7%) at one year, CRP levels were higher and adiponectin levels were lower than their counterparts without diet failure.

Values were also measured two and four years after baseline, but results are not easy to summarize, and I don’t give too much credence to a diet modification purported to last that long. After six to 12 months of a new diet, most folks drift back to their usual way of eating.

Grapes are a time-honored component of the Mediterranean diet

Grapes are a time-honored component of the Mediterranean diet

Action Plan

If you have type 2 diabetes or want to avoid it, consider a Mediterranean-style diet.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: Even if you think inflammation is important, you’ll find no shortage of chapters in my books.

Reference: Anti-inflammatory effect of Mediterranean diet in type 2 diabetes is durable: 8-year follow-up of a controlled trial. Diabetes Care, 2016. doi: 10.2337/dc15-2356

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet

Two diet books in one

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Mediterranean Diet Plus Olive Oil May Prevent Breast Cancer

Posted on May 22, 2016 | Comments Off on Mediterranean Diet Plus Olive Oil May Prevent Breast Cancer
From my pantry...

From my pantry…

A Mediterranean-style diet with supplemental extra-virgin olive oil seemed to reduce the incidence of breast cancer in a Spanish population. This is consistent with prior observational studies that link the Mediterranean diet with lower rates of breast and other cancers.

The study population involved 4,000 women who were followed for five years. Thirty-five new cases of breast cancer occurred in this PREDIMED study sub-analysis.

The comparison diets were a reduced-fat diet and Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts.

This is a relatively small study, so results may not be entirely reliable.

Action Plan

If you’re a woman hoping to avoid breast cancer, consider the Mediterranean diet and be sure to eat plenty of extra-virgin olive oil. A good way to do this is to use home-made vinaigrettes.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: Even if you think Spaniards are jovial, you won’t find any in my books.

Reference: Mediterranean diet and invasive breast cancer risk among women at high cardiovascular risk in the PREDIMED trial. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.4838

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet

Two diet books in one

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Stroke Falls to 5th Leading Cause of Death in U.S.

Posted on December 6, 2015 | Comments Off on Stroke Falls to 5th Leading Cause of Death in U.S.

For most of my medical career, stroke was the third leading cause of death in the U.S., behind heart disease and cancer. Just a few years ago, chronic lower respiratory tract disease surpassed stroke.

Stroke continues to fall in rank and fell recently to fifth place, overtaken by accidents (unintentional injuries).

Even non-fatal strokes can be devastating.

Reduce your risk of stroke by maintaining normal blood pressure, not smoking, exercise regularly, living at a healthy weight, limiting your alcohol consumption, don’t get diabetes, and limit your age to 55. It’s also important to seek medical attention if you have a TIA (transient ischemic attack).

I also think the Mediterranean diet helps.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet

Two diet books in one

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Improve Metabolic Syndrome with Paleolithic Diet

Posted on October 26, 2015 | Comments Off on Improve Metabolic Syndrome with Paleolithic Diet

…according to an article at American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

shutterstock_268538780

 

“Metabolic syndrome” may be a new term for you. It’s a collection of clinical features that are associated with increased future risk of type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic complications such as heart attack and stroke. You can lower your risk of these conditions by reversing your metabolic syndrome.

One in six Americans has metabolic syndrome. Diagnosis requires at least three of the following five conditions:

  • high blood pressure (130/85 or higher, or using a high blood pressure medication)
  • low HDL cholesterol: under 40 mg/dl (1.03 mmol/l) in a man, under 50 mg/dl (1.28 mmol/l) in a women (or either sex taking a cholesterol-lowering drug)
  • triglycerides over 150 mg/dl (1.70 mmol/l) (or taking a cholesterol-lowering drug)
  • abdominal fat: waist circumference 40 inches (102 cm) or greater in a man, 35 inches (89 cm) or greater in a woman
    fasting blood glucose over 100 mg/dl (5.55 mmol/l)
  • fasting blood glucose over 100 mg/dl (5.55 mmol/l)

I don’t plan on reading the full text of the report because it’s a meta-analysis and I’ve likely reviewed the four component studies already at my Paleo Diabetic blog. Here are the results:

Four RCTs [randomized controlled trials] that involved 159 participants were included. The 4 control diets were based on distinct national nutrition guidelines but were broadly similar. Paleolithic nutrition resulted in greater short-term improvements than did the control diets (random-effects model) for waist circumference (mean difference: −2.38 cm; 95% CI: −4.73, −0.04 cm), triglycerides (−0.40 mmol/L; 95% CI: −0.76, −0.04 mmol/L), systolic blood pressure (−3.64 mm Hg; 95% CI: −7.36, 0.08 mm Hg), diastolic blood pressure (−2.48 mm Hg; 95% CI: −4.98, 0.02 mm Hg), HDL cholesterol (0.12 mmol/L; 95% CI: −0.03, 0.28 mmol/L), and fasting blood sugar (−0.16 mmol/L; 95% CI: −0.44, 0.11 mmol/L). The quality of the evidence for each of the 5 metabolic components was moderate. The home-delivery (n = 1) and dietary recommendation (n = 3) RCTs showed similar effects with the exception of greater improvements in triglycerides relative to the control with the home delivery. None of the RCTs evaluated an improvement in quality of life.

Ways to improve or cure metabolic syndrome include the paleo diet, Mediterranean diet, low-carb diets, ketogenic diets, and exercise. Losing excess fat weight with any reasonable diet would probably work. Enhance effectiveness with exercise.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference:Eric W Manheimer,  Esther J van Zuuren, Zbys Fedorowicz, and Hanno Pijl. Paleolithic nutrition for metabolic syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis. AJCN. First published August 12, 2015, doi: 10.3945/​ajcn.115.113613

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Mediterranean Diet Linked to Lower Stroke Risk in Women

Posted on February 14, 2015 | Comments Off on Mediterranean Diet Linked to Lower Stroke Risk in Women

…but we knew that already. A new study involving California teachers confirmed prior findings. The Mediterranean diet reduced ischemic stroke risk by up to 18%. Ischemic strokes are your typical strokes, much more common than bleeding in the brain (hemorrhagic strokes).

Stroke is the 4th or 5th leading cause of death in the U.S. Why not lower your risk by following the Mediterranean diet?

MedPageToday has the details.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Mediterranean Diet Linked to Longer Telomeres. So What?

Posted on January 13, 2015 | Comments Off on Mediterranean Diet Linked to Longer Telomeres. So What?
Grapes are an iconic Mediterranean fruit

Grapes are an iconic Mediterranean fruit

Telomeres are very trendy in the research community. Like chia seeds and kale with hipster foodies.  Telomeres are repetitive chains of amino acids attached to strands of your DNA. The longer your telomeres, the lower your risk of chronic disease and premature death, generally speaking.

The massive Nurses Health Study showed that women who ate a Mediterranean-style diet had the longer telomeres, which is good. That fits with other evidence of greater longevity and lower chronic disease rates in Mediterranean dieters.

Click for a brief pertinent article at NEJM Journal Watch, which includes a link to the original research report.

To lose weight with the Mediterranean diet, check out my book, The Advanced Mediterranean Diet (2nd edition).

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: We don’t know if telomeres are longer in men eating Mediterranean-style

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What’s the Healthiest Way of Eating?

Posted on November 21, 2014 | Comments Off on What’s the Healthiest Way of Eating?

Amby Burfoot has an article that asks, “what is the healthiest diet?” His answer comes from the Journal of Nutrition. Looks like there are four winners. Quoting Mr. Burfoot:

They differ slightly in the degree to which they favor, or disfavor, certain foods and food types, such as the following:

  • The Healthy Eating Index 2010: Considers low-fat dairy products a plus.
  • The Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010: Considers nuts/legumes a plus, as well as moderate alcohol consumption. Trans fats, sugary beverages, salt, and red meat get a minus.
  • The Alternate Mediterranean Diet: Considers fish, nuts/legumes, and moderate alcohol a plus; red meat, a minus.
  • The DASH Diet: Considers low-fat dairy and nuts/legumes a plus; sugary beverages, salt, and red meat get a minus.

I think the Mediterranean diet has the most and best data to support it.

Steve Parker, M.D.

 

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