The Mediterranean diet – inspired by the cuisines of Spain, Italy and Greece – was named the best overall diet by US News & World Report for the fourth consecutive year. With a focus on fish, healthy fats and unprocessed grains, there is good evidence that sticking to this diet can lead to a longer life. But now there is evidence that the Mediterranean diet can have benefits even beyond life expectancy.
“When people think of the Mediterranean diet, they think of a heart-healthy diet,” says Dr. Timothy Harlan, editor-in-chief of Health meets Food: The Curriculum for Culinary Medicine. “But the Mediterranean diet has also been shown to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration and cancer.”
Jen Bruning, registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, agrees. There is evidence that the diet helps lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels and overall heart rate, she said.
“As far as the Mediterranean diet and weight are concerned, it is not necessarily guaranteed to switch to a Mediterranean diet,” Bruning said. “However, the high satiety factor of these foods with higher fiber can naturally reduce the amount of calories you eat per day, which can cause weight loss or weight maintenance.”
Dr. Joel Kahn, a cardiologist and director of the Kahn Center for Cardiac Life, said the diet had been studied for decades because countries such as Italy and Greece had low levels of heart disease and cancer, while Western countries had extremely high doses. .
“With years of research, the question has been asked: is it a magical place, and what could be the reason why the bag of the world does not experience a disease like heart disease?” he said.
Some studies also suggest that the Mediterranean diet may have benefits at the cellular level, including reduced free radical damage associated with aging, as well as a reduced anti-inflammatory response in the body.
Extra virgin olive oil, the primary source of fat in the Mediterranean diet, has been shown to reduce inflammation because it is rich in compounds such as phenols and monounsaturated fats. One study found that increased phenolic content reduced the fat level in the blood and increased the amount of HDL, the ‘good’ cholesterol that can help lower your risk of heart disease.
Meanwhile, a major study showed that people who had previously had a heart attack that switched to the diet were 50% to 70% less likely to get a second.
Some studies have shown a link between diet and cancer rates, although research continues to better understand this link. Cancer doctors like dr. Justin Gregg, an assistant professor of urology at the University of Texas, Anderson Cancer Center, also wondered if this diet would be beneficial to their patients.
Initial results from Gregg’s study, published in Cancer, show that men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not need treatment in their early stages, and who follow the elements that match the Mediterranean diet may have a slower rate of cancer progression , which means they may not need invasive cancer therapy.
‘There may be a component of inflammation [in prostate cancer] it is actually related to the progression of diseases, ”he said. ‘This has led to our hypothesis that eating a diet that complies with the principles of the Mediterranean diet can be associated with a lower dose of [cancer] progression. ”
For many patients, it is difficult to stick to a new diet plan, but Bruning has succeeded with a step-by-step approach.
“I recommend starting with small changes,” she explained. “Try to eliminate your refined grains (white bread and pasta) for their whole grain counterpart, or eliminate the source of fat in a recipe. It’s actually about making small changes, one or two at a time. ‘
Despite his practice around a plant-based Mediterranean diet, Kahn said he first assesses whether patients can change their diet. If he sees resistance, he will initially sleep and stress fitness.
“People are more open-minded about better sleep and exercise, while there is resistance to changing their diet,” Kahn said. ‘If sleep is an issue, I’ll give you some tips on how to improve it or get a sleep study. “In terms of fitness, I ask patients to walk 25 to 30 minutes a day and follow up on dietary changes during the next visit.”
Harlan agrees with these approaches, but he says with his program he teaches patients that they do not have to adhere specifically to Mediterranean foods to achieve the overall health benefits. Instead, it means you have to take the diet and translate it into similar American dishes.
Regardless of the approach to making these lifestyle changes, Harlan said that even small steps toward the Mediterranean diet can prevent cancer and heart disease.
Lily Nedda Dastmalchi, DO, MA, a GP at George Washington University, contributes to the ABC News Medical Unit.