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   Mediterranean diet alone may lower diabetes risk   
      
      
       
   Jan 06, 2014 by Kathleen Doheny, Healthday Reporter   
      
   Key ingredient of study: use of extra-virgin olive oil, not calorie counting   
   or exercise.   
   (HealthDay)--Adults at risk for heart disease who eat a Mediterranean diet   
   rich in olive oil can lower their chances of developing diabetes, even without   
   restricting calories or boosting exercise, new research suggests.   
   In the study, Spanish researchers followed more than 3,500 older adults at   
   high risk of heart disease. The researchers assigned them to one of three   
   groups: a Mediterranean diet with extra-virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet   
   supplemented with mixed    
   nuts, or a low-fat diet, which served as the comparison. They did not get   
   special instructions on losing weight or increasing their physical activity.   
   A Mediterranean diet focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish,   
   besides the olive oil.   
      
   Those in the nut group were allowed about an ounce a day of walnuts, almonds   
   and hazelnuts. Those in the olive oil group were allowed a little more than   
   three tablespoons daily.   
      
   The researchers followed the men and women, aged 55 to 80, for about four   
   years, between 2003 and 2010. During the follow-up, 80 in the olive oil group   
   developed type 2 diabetes, while 92 in the nuts group and 101 in the   
   comparison diet group did.   
      
   After adjusting for other factors affecting diabetes risk, the researchers   
   found those in the olive oil group reduced diabetes risk by about 40 percent   
   compared to the comparison diet group. Those in the nuts group reduced risk by   
   18 percent, which was    
   not statistically significant.   
      
   The new research, published online Jan. 7 in the Annals of Internal Medicine,   
   is good news, said Dr. Christine Laine, editor-in-chief of the journal and an   
   associate professor of medicine at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.   
      
   The study "suggests it is possible to reduce the risk of diabetes by changing   
   the composition of your diet. It is another piece of evidence that the   
   Mediterranean diet has health benefits," said Laine, who was not involved in   
   the research.   
      
   She hopes the findings don't discourage people from diet and exercise. Excess   
   weight is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, she said, and diet and exercise   
   can help control weight. Adding diet and exercise to the Mediterranean diet   
   could theoretically    
   reduce the diabetes risk even more, she noted.   
      
   Those at risk for type 2 diabetes, Laine said, "should work hard to maintain a   
   healthy body weight." However, even if they are not able to do that   
   successfully, she said the new study suggests--but does not prove--that adding   
   olive oil to their diet may    
   provide some benefit.   
      
   The oil's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, among other factors,   
   may explain the link, the researchers said. However, while the finding shows   
   an association between long-term olive oil consumption and reduced risk of   
   diabetes, it doesn't    
   establish a cause-and-effect relationship.   
      
   People with diabetes, which has more than doubled in incidence worldwide in   
   the past 30 years, have trouble controlling their blood sugar because they   
   don't produce the hormone insulin or don't use it properly. The disease can   
   lead to blindness, kidney    
   failure and amputation.   
      
   The new study "demonstrates the power of plant foods and an overall healthful   
   diet," said Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington   
   University in St. Louis.   
      
   "The important message from this study is the value of a Mediterranean diet   
   plan to satiety and overall health," Diekman said. "Inclusion of plant foods,   
   including nuts, along with the use of olive oil in place of solid fats   
   provides a wider variety of    
   phytonutrients, which promote health, aid metabolism and provide feelings of   
   fullness, all important aspects of weight control."   
      
   The research was funded by the Spanish government's Institute of Health Carlos   
   III. Industry sources provided the olive oil and nuts.   
      
       
   More information: To learn more about the Mediterranean diet, visit the   
   American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.   
      
      
      
      
   http://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2014-01-mediterranean-diet-diabetes.html#nwlt   
      
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