Is the Mediterranean diet 'world's best'? Heart and brain love this way of eating, study finds

How unhealthy are Chinese eating habits?

According to a study in The Lancet, China has the highest all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and cancer mortality related to poor diet in the world . Therefore, having a healthy diet is key.

Some time ago, "U.S. News and World Report" released the list of the best diets for 2022. Which diet is the healthiest?

The jury for this list is made up of 27 experts who have evaluated 40 dietary patterns around the world, including daily ease of implementation, short- and long-term weight loss, heart health, diabetes prevention, safety and nutrition. In this regard, the annual overall best diet ranking and 8 related sub-lists are finally obtained.

In the list of the best diets for 2022, the top four are the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, the Flexitarian Diet and the "spirit"/brain diet ( MIND Diet).

Among them, the Mediterranean diet has been at the top of the overall best diet list for 5 consecutive years , and in the best plant-based diet, the best heart healthy diet, the best diabetes diet, the healthiest diet, and the most easy-to-follow diet sub-lists It also won first place in the single.

What exactly is the "Mediterranean diet"? Why can you "take the lead" among multiple opponents?

1. What is the "Mediterranean Diet"?

Let’s first understand what the Mediterranean diet is like.

The Mediterranean diet is a simple, light and nutritious eating style based on countries around the Mediterranean such as France, Italy, Spain and Greece .

The Mediterranean diet has the following seven characteristics:

①It is recommended to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables , including beans, and it is recommended to eat 7-10 servings per day;

②It is recommended that the staple food is mainly whole grains , such as bread and pasta made of natural grains such as wheat and oats;

③ It is recommended to eat a handful of nuts every day , such as walnuts, cashews, almonds, etc., pay attention to avoid eating salt-baked, honey-roasted and candied nuts;

④ It is recommended to replace lard, butter and margarine with healthy oils, such as olive oil, rapeseed oil, etc .;

⑤ It is recommended to limit the intake of high-fat dairy products (such as whole milk, cheese and ice cream, etc.), which can be replaced by skim milk, non-fat yogurt and low-fat cheese ;

⑥It is suggested that spices can be used to replace salt as seasoning food;

⑦ Under the conditions allowed by the doctor, it is recommended to drink red wine appropriately , such as a drink with dinner ( but if you have no drinking habit, it is not recommended to drink, and it is recommended to use purple grape juice as an alternative ) .

(Picture Oldways; Sinicization: Jin Jin)

So what's so good about this eating habit? In this regard, nutritionist Gu Zhongyi introduced that the Mediterranean diet has the following four advantages:

• There are many foods to choose from, some foods will not be excluded, and the nutrition is very balanced and comprehensive;
• The fish, olive oil and nut seeds contained in it are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which are not only good for cardiovascular health, but also prevent cognitive decline such as Alzheimer's disease to a certain extent;
• Adequate intake of fruits and vegetables is also helpful for enhancing immunity, maintaining intestinal health, preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer;
• A diet low in saturated fat and predominantly plant-based can help with weight loss (reduce waist circumference), control blood sugar, and improve insulin resistance.

2. What can the body gain by adhering to the "Mediterranean diet"?

The Mediterranean diet is recognized as one of the healthiest eating patterns in the world, and if it can be adhered to for a long time, it will bring the following benefits to the body.

1. Reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease recurrence

In May 2022, the results of a large clinical trial study published in The Lancet showed that a Mediterranean diet was superior to low fat in secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease by 24.7- 28.1%, and this risk reduction effect was more pronounced in men, up to 33.1%.

2. Prevent Alzheimer's

A July 2022 study published in JAMA Network Open found that among Hispanic/Latino middle-aged and older adults, high adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with better cognitive performance and reduced age-related Learning and memory decline.

3. Protect your heart health

A cohort study involving 25,994 U.S. women found that the risk of cardiovascular events was significantly higher between those most adherent to the Mediterranean diet (39% of the study population) and the least adherent (24.8% of the study population). The relative risk was reduced by about a quarter.

4. Control and prevent diabetes

A study published in the journal Diabetes Care found that a Mediterranean diet that includes extra virgin olive oil may help with diabetes management.

3. What does a dietary pattern suitable for Chinese people look like?

It's not that you have to strictly follow the Mediterranean diet to be the healthiest. A healthy eating pattern often depends on these: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, small amounts of animal protein, and healthy fats. So what exactly should we eat?

• fresh fruits and vegetables

Each meal should contain fresh vegetables, and the intake of fresh vegetables should be guaranteed to be more than 300 grams per day, half of which should be dark vegetables.

• grain based

The staple food is mainly cereals, and the daily intake of cereals is 200-300 grams, of which 50-150 grams are whole grains and mixed beans, and 50-100 grams are potatoes.

• Eat more fish and poultry

Eat as much fish and poultry as possible, preferably 2 times a week or 300-500 grams of fish, and 300-500 grams of livestock and poultry meat. Fatty, smoked and cured meat products should be eaten less, and the daily meat intake should be controlled between 120-200 grams.

• Reduce animal oil intake

Animal oils, such as lard, butter, butter, fatty meat, etc., are high in saturated fat, and eating too much will increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and certain cancers.

Therefore, it is recommended to reduce the intake of animal oils and replace them with oils rich in monounsaturated fatty acids such as olive oil, canola oil, high oleic peanut oil, camellia seed oil and almond oil, and control the oil intake. at 25-30 g/day.

The Mediterranean diet has many benefits, and it is not difficult to stick to this healthy eating pattern. Just eat more vegetables, fruits and whole grains, eat less red meat, and choose vegetable oils rich in unsaturated fatty acids, so that you can easily enjoy the Mediterranean diet. The health benefits it brings!

References:

[1] "The latest ranking! Why does the "Mediterranean diet" take the first place? The ketogenic diet is really unhealthy! 》. Nutritionist Gu Zhongyi. 2021-01-07

[2] " Why is the "Mediterranean diet" always the "best in the world"? Nutrition Expert: Heart and Brain Love This Way ". Life Times. 2018-07-10

[3]Delgado-Lista J， Alcala-Diaz J， Torres-Peña J， Quintana-Navarro G， Fuentes F， Garcia-Rios A et al. Long-term secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet and a low-fat diet (CORDIOPREV)： a randomised controlled trial. The Lancet. 2022;399(10338)：1876-1885.

[4]Ahmad S， Demler O， Sun Q， Moorthy M， Li C， Lee I et al. Association of the Mediterranean Diet With Onset of Diabetes in the Women’s Health Study. JAMA Network Open. 2020;3(11)：e2025466.

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