They say the way to the heart is through the stomach. And that couldn’t be more true when it comes to the Mediterranean diet.
For years I’ve been telling you all about the heart-healthy benefits of eating Mediterranean, which focuses on fresh foods like fish, fruits and vegetables, nuts and olive oil.
But when it comes to transforming your health—and adding years to your life—the benefits of the Mediterranean diet don’t stop with your heart. In fact, exciting new research shows that switching to a Mediterranean diet can help protect you from a murderer’s row of leading killers, including heart disease, breast cancer and even diabetes.
And it just may slow your body’s aging process to a crawl.
Cut heart attack and stroke risk by a third
In study after study, the heart benefits of the Mediterranean diet continue to impress.
Researchers studied 7,447 people in Spain who were all between the ages of 55 and 80—and who were all pretty unhealthy. They were overweight, had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and smoked tobacco.
Although these folks had not been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, they certainly were at a high risk of developing it. Two groups of subjects ate a Mediterranean diet consisting of:
▶ legumes
▶ fruits and vegetables
▶ fish at least three times each week
▶ white meat instead of red
▶ no more than seven glasses of wine a week.
One of those groups added at least four extra tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil (the least processed form of the oil), and the other group added an extra ounce of nuts instead each day. Meanwhile, a third group ate just a low-fat diet.
After five years of eating this way, the risk of heart attack or stroke was 30 percent lower for the people on both versions of the nutrient-rich Mediterranean diet.
Mediterranean diet may stop breast cancer in its tracks
While we’ve known about the heart benefits of the Mediterranean diet for a long time, there’s plenty of exciting research proving it also may be a powerful way to prevent cancer.
Spanish researchers have found that adopting a Mediterranean diet can dramatically lower a woman’s risk of breast cancer. Spanish researchers asked 4,282 overweight women age 60 to 80 to eat one of three diets (similar to the diets in the heart study):
Mediterranean supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil
Mediterranean supplemented with nuts
A low-fat diet
After almost five years, adding extra-virgin olive oil lowered the women’s risk of breast cancer by 68 percent, and adding nuts meant a breast cancer risk that was 41 percent lower compared to those on a low-fat diet.1
Drop your blood sugar and boost your brain power
Multiple studies have also shown that simply eating a Mediterranean diet could better control your blood sugar and slash your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by almost one-fourth!2,3
Some people on a low-carb Mediterranean diet have even seen their recently-diagnosed diabetes go into REMISSION. Their blood sugar levels improved, and they didn’t have to start taking medication nearly as soon as those on a low-fat diet.4
And if you want to ramp up your crossword game, the Mediterranean diet can even help improve your memory and other brain functions. In one study, healthy men and women in their mid-60s who ate a Mediterranean diet (with extra amounts of either olive oil or nuts), were able to pay attention, juggle thoughts, and memorize better than people who ate a low-fat diet. In fact, those eating strictly low-fat foods during the study actually showed DECREASED brain function in the tests.5
Can eating Mediterranean actually reverse aging?
But here’s the real shocker: we may have actually found the fountain of youth in this simple, easy-to-follow (and delicious) diet. It can literally keep your body’s age YOUNGER than what your birth certificate says.
Scientists sometimes measure a person’s biological age as opposed to their chronological age by studying the length of their cell DNA’s telomeres. Telomeres are like little caps that protectively wrap around the tips of our chromosomes, which store the genetic information in each and every one of our cells. Longer telomeres are a sign of youth and slower aging.
Researchers at the Harvard Medical School measured the telomere length in chromosomes from 4,676 nurses.
Using a nine-point scale to measure how closely they stuck to the Mediterranean diet, they found that women who ate a Mediterranean diet the most consistently had longer telomeres than women who did not eat a Mediterranean diet at all.
In fact, their biological age was actually 13.5 years YOUNGER!6
A similar study by Italian doctors also reported that people who consistently ate a Mediterranean diet had longer telomeres—and that they also exhibited higher activity of the enzyme that lengthens them, telomerase.7
You’ll never be bored by dinner again
There are plenty of misconceptions about the Mediterranean diet. Some people expect to be able to indulge in super-sized bowls of pasta, while others imagine meals that are more exclusively centered on healthy fish and legumes.
The truth is: there is no single Mediterranean diet. There is no single ingredient that’s emphasized, or one food category you have to focus on. Just look at the many different cuisines of all the nations that border the Mediterranean Sea!
If you want to get the most out of the Mediterranean diet, all you have to do is follow some simple guidelines. Choose fish instead of red meat…bulk up on veggies…include legumes, nuts and seeds…and keep your pasta and grains to a modest minimum. Some people also consume small amounts of red wine, but that part is up to you.
However you choose to customize the basic principles of the Mediterranean diet to fit your personal needs, just make sure you’re controlling your portions—and not overdoing it on the lasagna.
When it comes to Mediterranean, go traditional
The first studies of the Mediterranean diet’s impact on health included people living on the island of Crete before 1962. Researchers looked at what they ate and how healthy they were.
And it’s actually that model—and what those people were eating a half century ago—that is the best representation of the Mediterranean diet.
Keep in mind, it was a pretty different time back then. Fish was an important source of the omega-3 fats, and eggs were considered a good source of healthy fats. People also got their omega-3s from a leafy vegetable known as purslane, which most people haven’t even heard of these days. (And if they have, they think it’s a weed.)
Traditionally, people used a lot of herbal seasonings rich in antioxidants and other nutrients, including oregano, rosemary, cinnamon, and garlic.
They also used vinegar in their cooking, sometimes to marinate fish, chicken, or lamb. The acetic acid in vinegar improves blood sugar,8,9,10,11 and marinating with lemon juice reduces the production of ch emicals that can increase the risk of cancer.12
People traditionally ate smaller portions—so forget about those big bowls of pasta. And they tended to be more physically active, making plenty of their own vitamin D while working outdoors.
Over the last 50 years, people living along the Mediterranean have begun eating somewhat less healthy foods. They’ve let processed foods and fast foods creep into their dietary landscape. Now, even they have to be mindful of what they put into their mouths.
Toledo E, Salas-Salvado J, Donat-Vargas C, et al. Mediterranean diet and invasive breast cancer risk among women at high cardiovascular risk in the PREDIMED trial. A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015;175:1752-1760.
Koloverou E, Esposito K, Giugliano D, et al. The effect of Mediterranean diet on the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis of 10 prospective studies and 136,846 participants. Metabolism, 2014;63:903-911.
Esposito K, Maiorino MI, Bellastella G, et al. A journey into a Mediterranean diet and type 2 diabetes: a systematic review with meta-analyses. BMJ Open, 2015;5(8):e008222. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008222.
Esposito K, Maiorino MI, Petrizzo M, et al. The effects of a Mediterranean diet on the need for diabetes drugs and remission of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: follow-up of a randomized trial. Diabetes Care, 2014;37:1824-1830.
Valls-Pedret C, Sala-Vila A, Serra-Mir M, et al. Mediterranean Diet and Age-Related Cognitive Decline: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015: doi 10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.1668.
Crous-Bou M, Fung TT, Prescott J, et al. Mediterranean diet and telomere length in Nurses’ Health Study: population based cohort study. BMJ, 2014;349:g6676.
Boccardi V, Esposito A, Rizzo MR, et al. Mediterranean diet, telomere maintenance and health status among elderly. PLoS One. 2013 Apr 30;8(4):e62781. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062781.
White AM, Johnston CS. 2007. Vinegar ingestion at bedtime moderates waking glucose concentrations in adults with well-controlled type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 11: 2814-2815.
Johnston CS, Kim CM, Buller AJ. 2004. Vinegar improves insulin sensitivity to a high-carbohydrate meal in subjects with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 27:281-282.
Ostman E, Granfeldt Y, Persson L, et al. 2005. Vinegar supplementation lowers glucose and insulin responses and increases satiety after a bread meal in healthy subjects. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 59;983-988.
Leeman M, Ostman E, Bjorck I. 2005. Vinegar dressing and cold storage of potatoes lowers postprandial glycaemic andinsulinaemic responses in healthy subjects. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 59:1266-71.
Uribarri J, Del Castillo MD, de la Maza MP, Filip R, Gugliucci A, Luevano-Contreras C, Macías-Cervantes MH, Markowicz Bastos DH, Medrano A, Menini T, Portero-Otin M, Rojas A, Sampaio GR, Wrobel K, Wrobel K, Garay-Sevilla ME. Dietary Advanced Glycation End Products and Their Role in Health and Disease. Adv Nutr, 2015;6(4):461-473.
The FREE weight loss trick that cuts down on holiday heft… in less than a minute!
It’s normal to overindulge a bit when you’re faced with your spouse’s famous stuffing or Cousin Kathy’s Christmas kringle in November and December.
But once January hits, the time to treat yourself is over.
If you packed on some unwanted pounds over the holiday season, there’s a remarkably simple way to shed the weight. It takes less than a minute a day, and costs virtually nothing.
Just make sure you’re loading up on water.
When you’re drinking water (make sure it’s filtered, please), you’re LESS likely to turn to higher-calorie and insulin-spiking beverages with high fructose corn syrup and other sugars that sabotage your weight loss.
Multiple studies have also shown that drinking water before meals can help you trim down by making you eat less.1,2,3 In one study, people who downed a 16-ounce glass of water before meals lost about 4.5 pounds more in 12 weeks than those who didn’t.4 In another study, the group that “water loaded” lost an average of 5.28 pounds—almost three pounds more than the subjects who didn’t drink water.
That means you can cut down your portions and STILL feel satisfied, because water gets rid of those hunger pangs—and makes you feel FULL with a few less forkfuls of food.
Even better, water helps your body get rid of toxins that disrupt your metabolism, and it can keep your bowels regular. It also helps you feel and look better by keeping your skin, hair, and nails healthy and strong.
Now remember, you’ll get the most benefit out of pure, natural water—not flavored water, which can include harmful artificial sweeteners like aspartame.
And understand that water alone isn’t a “cure-all” for weight gain or obesity. But when combined with reasonably-sized portions of a healthy, nutrient-rich eating plan (like the Mediterranean diet) and an active lifestyle, it can give you the extra push you need to get back to your fighting weight.
Van Walleghen EL, Orr JS, Gentile CL, Davy BM. Pre-meal water consumption reduces meal energy intake in older but not younger subjects. Obesity 2007;15:93-98.
Davy BM, Dennis EA, Dengo AL, Wilson KL, Davy KP. Water consumption reduces energy intake at a breakfast meal in obese older adults. J Am Diet Assoc 2008;108:1236-1239.
Dennis EA, Dengo AL, Comber DL, et al. Water consumption increases weight loss during a hypocaloric diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults. Obesity 2010;18:300-307.
Dennis EA, Dengo AL, Comber DL, et al. Water consumption increases weight loss during a hypocaloric diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults. Obesity 2010;18:300-307.
The post Slash your breast cancer risk 68%—
and make diabetes disappear—
with this ONE diet change appeared first on Dr. Mark Stengler's Health Revelations.