The Mediterranean diet has long been appreciated by doctors and scientists due to the high proportion of fruits, vegetables and whole grain products that protect against multiple diseases. Spanish scientists have found that its effect can still be strengthened by simple lifestyle changes and that it is possible to reduce the risk of developing diabetes 2.
Spanish and American scientists have found that the greatest benefit has a Mediterranean diet when it is associated with regular exercise, occasional energy deficit and expert advice on weight loss. The study was published by the Annals of Internal Medicine magazine.
The authors watched almost five thousand adults with obesity. All participants were initially without diabetes of 2 types of type, but they had a metabolic syndrome-a set of health problems increasing the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Half of the participants followed the Mediterranean diet supplemented by a reduction in daily mileage by approximately 600, slight physical activity and professional guidance in weight loss. The other half followed only a diet plan.
Over the six years of watching, people who combined diet with healthy habits had thirty percent lower risk of diabetes 2 as a control group. At the same time, they lost an average of more than 3.3 kilograms and reduced the waist circumference by 3.6 centimeters. Those who kept only a diet lost 0.6 kilograms and deprived 0.3 centimeters in the waist.
Professor Miguel Martínez-González of the University of Navarra, co-author of the study, said: “These three lifestyle changes have shown a clear and measurable benefit to public healthe.“
