For those with metabolic syndrome, there are almost always two certainties: Obesity and diabetes.
Worse yet, it’s on the rise.
Yet new research from the Canadian Medical Association Journal may show that not everyone is doomed to develop metabolic syndrome–provided they tweak their eating habits in a few simple ways.
Researcher Dr. Jordi Salas-Salvadó recently spoke with the media about what he discovered in his latest study, now set to be published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
“In this large, multicentre [sic], randomized clinical trial involving people with high cardiovascular risk, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil was associated with a smaller increase in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome compared with advice on following a low-fat diet,” says Salas-Salvadó, who is a researcher at the Universitat Rovira i Virgilli in Reus, Spain. “Because there were no between-group differences in weight loss or energy expenditure, the change is likely attributable to the difference in dietary patterns.”
Salas-Salvadó initially drew his data from the PREDIMED trial, which analyzed men and women between the ages of 55 to 80 facing a higher risk of heart disease, a complication of metabolic syndrome. In the trial, participants were given one of three diets, including a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts, or a low-fat diet. From there, researchers looked at how these diets affected how metabolic syndrome progressed in them–something that, by the beginning of this study, affected nearly 64 percent of them.
After following up with them around 5 years later, they found that those who ate a Mediterranean diet, regardless of what the diet was supplemented with, had decreased their obesity and lower blood glucose levels–two important factors associated with metabolic syndrome. In turn, the progression of this syndrome actually reversed itself.
However, a low-fat diet did not reduce or reverse these factors, say researchers.
“Mediterranean diets supplemented with olive oil or nuts were not associated with a reduced incidence of metabolic syndrome compared with a low-fat diet; however, both diets were associated with a significant rate of reversion of metabolic syndrome,” say researchers. “An energy-unrestricted Mediterranean diet may be useful in reducing the risks of central obesity and hyperglycemia in people at high risk of cardiovascular disease.”
What These Results Mean For You
Metabolic syndrome can be hard to fight–but researchers now have identified a new way to make it easier. The solution? Try eating a Mediterranean diet to fight it–and it wouldn’t hurt to add a serving of olive oil or nuts as well.
Readers: Have you tried the Mediterranean diet before?
Sources:
Mediterranean Diet, Olive Oil and Nuts Can Help Reverse Metabolic Syndrome – ScienceDaily.com
Eating Nuts or Olive Oil With a Mediterranean Diet May Reduce Symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome, Says Study – EurekAlert.org
Mediterranean Diets and Metabolic Syndrome Status in the PREDIMED Randomized Trial – CMAJ.ca
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