In the 1990s, a new "fad diet" swept the world. Called the Mediterranean Diet, it purported to be the answer to a host of diet and lifestyle related diseases, including heart disease. The difference between the Mediterranean diet and many other fad diets was that this one did not go away. The reason was simple: it worked.
The Mediterranean Diet is back in the news with the publishing of the results of a study by a team of researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Headed by Hannah Gardener, Sc.D., the team uncovered evidence that the Mediterranean Diet (or MeDi) is not just good for the body, it appears to be good for the brain, too. According to a February 2012 report in the Archives of Neurology, the object of the study was to "examine the association between a Mediterranean-style diet (MeDi) and brain magnetic resonance imaging white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV)."
WMHV is an indicator of small vessel brain damage, with lower volume indicating reduced damage. The mean age of the 1091 participants in the study was 72 years and it covered a cross section of the community, though Hispanics comprised the majority (64.7%). A questionnaire was given to all participants to determine their dietary habits and how closely their diets corresponded to the MeDi diet. Other risk factors were also factored into the results in order to come to more accurate conclusions.
Study Results
While the results of the study were inconclusive, there were indications that the Mediterranean Diet did appear to be a factor in reducing small vessel damage in the brain. Interestingly, it appeared that the MeDi diet seemed to be associated with WMHV independently of many other factors such as smoking, hypertension and diabetes.
There was a direct correlation between higher MeDi scores and lower WMHV scores. This led researchers to conclude that the "current study suggests a possible protective association between increased consumption of a MeDi and small vessel damage." They also pointed out that participants who adhered most strictly with the Mediterranean Diet also exercised more and had lower BMIs than the other participants.
What Makes the Mediterranean Diet Work?
The traditional diet in the Mediterranean countries included large volumes of herbs and vegetables. Fish and poultry were consumed in greater quantities than red meat and olive oil was used for cooking and as a dressing. Until the introduction of processed and refined foods in the 1960s, the incidence of cardiovascular disease was far lower in these countries the elsewhere in Europe and the United States. As the consumption of these foods increased, so did the incidence of heart and other cardiovascular diseases.
One of the most striking differences between a Mediterranean diet and a diet consisting largely of red meat, processed foods and refined sugars is the amounts of saturated fats that are consumed in modern Western cultures versus the healthy monounsaturated fats that are part of the Mediterranean and other natural diets. This was not overlooked in the University of Miami study, whose authors noted that the "only MeDi score component that was an independent predictor of WMHV was the ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fat." This suggests that a strictly Mediterranean diet may not be as much of a factor in brain health as a combination of healthy foods.
A recent Natural Therapy Pages article, Mediterranean Diet Linked to Improved Fertility is just one of many that strongly suggest that if we care about our health, we should "go back to nature." Vegetables and fresh fruits are rich in vitamins and health promoting antioxidants and Healthy Oils such as olive oil promote health, while those that are found in most packaged foods are detrimental to good health. While a Mediterranean diet is a good example to follow, we needn't move to Greece or Italy to enjoy good health. There are plenty of great natural foods and recipes right here in Australia.
