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Why Mediterranean Diet Is Healthy? Mediterranean diet is the traditionally living habits of people from countries around the Mediterranean Sea, including Italy, France, Greece and Spain. Though Mediterranean cuisine may vary from region to region and has many definitions, it is basically based on vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, cereal grains, olive oil and fish. Some may even include red wine. Studies have shown that the traditional Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of heart disease. The diet may lower oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the bad cholesterol), that is more likely to build up deposits in the arteries. A meta-analysis of more than 1.5 million healthy adults, who followed a Mediterranean diet, were found to have a reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality as well as overall mortality. Mediterranean diet is also associated with a reduced incidence of cancer: women who eat a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil and mixed nuts may have a reduced risk of breast cancer. A recent study led by researchers from Columbia University in New York revealed that people who followed a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish and healthy fats may preserve a more youthful brain in old age. Their findings were published online October 21, 2015 in journal ‘Neurology’. Researchers focused on elderly people with normal cognitive function to see whether the diet might also be tied to losing fewer brain cells due to aging. They reviewed surveys completed by 674 elderly people about their eating habits and then examined their brains by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The results were then compared to other people who did not regularly follow many aspects of the Mediterranean diet. As defined by the current study, it is high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, cereals/grains, fish and healthy monounsaturated fats like olive oil. And a low intake of unhealthy fats, like saturated fats, dairy, meat and poultry; and mild to moderate amounts of alcohol (red wine is a common element of the diet).
For those participants who adhered to Mediterranean diet, they more often had larger total brain volume, 13 ml greater. The volume difference was evenly divided between gray matter (neurons themselves) and white matter (the networks or highways of connections between the cells). Higher fish intake and lower meat consumption was also tied to greater brain volume on the brain scans. Overall, the difference in brain volume between the people who followed a Mediterranean diet and those who did not was similar to the effect of 5 years of aging. While the difference in brain volume was not huge, a small change in volume may be linked to a meaningful difference in cognition and behavior. Hence, the results of the current study do raise the possibility that people may potentially prevent brain shrinking and the effects of aging on the brain simply by following a healthy diet. Nevertheless, the study did have some limitations. Firstly, it could not show if the diet actually causes less brain atrophy over time. For instance, it is also possible that the effect might operate in the opposite direction, with differences in brain structure resulting in behavioral differences that include dietary habits. Secondly, it is difficult to separate the effect of eating more fish from the impact of consuming less meat. Someone who eats a lot of fish probably does not eat a lot of meat. In fact, other research suggests that it is not just fish and meat that are important. Despite of so many positive findings on Mediterranean diet, scientists have yet to conclusively prove that it is responsible for the outcomes. This means that more clinical trial results are required for a more specific take-home message. Right now, however, no one would dispute that a well-balanced diet like the Mediterranean diet is indeed a healthy diet.
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