The Benefits Of The Mediterranean Diet
The benefits of the Mediterranean diet are known. The traditional eating style of Mediterranean countries constitutes a balanced diet that can help us prevent various diseases. But it also offers us greater longevity and quality of life.
The Mediterranean diet has shown in different investigations the great amount of benefits it brings. It is effective in preventing cardiovascular disease, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and some types of cancers. In this article we explain in detail what are the main proven benefits of the Mediterranean diet.
What does it consist of?
The Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, olive oil, legumes, cheeses, nuts, and cereals. This type of diet, based on fresh local products of natural origin, provides us with fundamental nutrients.
The foods present in the Mediterranean diet are especially rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, flavonoids, beta-carotenes, polyphenols, and also in omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. Most of these nutrients are powerful antioxidants, necessary to combat the cellular aging.
Benefits of the Mediterranean diet for health
1. Strokes
A recent study of 712 people over 65 years of age in New York City found that those who ate a Mediterranean-like diet were up to 36% less likely to have a stroke.
On the other hand, as a study published in the journal Circulation of the American Heart Association points out, the Mediterranean diet rich in extra virgin olive oil contributes to improving key functions of good cholesterol.
Therefore, its adoption could be key to reducing excess cholesterol in the arteries and its oxidation process. It also helps keep blood vessels dilated, which is key to reducing cardiovascular risk.
2. Alzheimer’s
In another observational study, this time on neurodegenerative diseases, researchers examined 2,250 people participating in the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia project on aging . The results were revealing: among those who followed the Mediterranean diet, the risk of Alzheimer’s was 40% lower.
3. Asthma
Another benefit of the Mediterranean diet is the reduction of symptoms of asthma, a chronic respiratory disease. According to a recent study conducted at the University of Athens (Greece), where 700 children between the ages of 10 and 12 were observed, participants who followed the Mediterranean diet had fewer asthma symptoms.
It is important to remember that the studies that discovered these benefits of the Mediterranean diet are observational, not experimental. In other words, they only found an association between diet and a reduction in the risk of suffering from certain diseases.
We need more quality studies to know exactly the mechanism by which the Mediterranean diet can be protective on so many levels. Meanwhile, everything seems to point to the diet having an anti-inflammatory effect.
