Eating a Mediterranean diet can improve your endurance exercise performance within a few days, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
A team of researchers at Saint Louis University have found that eating a Mediterranean diet can improve athletes' endurance exercise performance after just four days.
Pre and Post Exercise Nutrition
Exercise is a need to eat better and perform better. Nourishing the body with wholesome food will make it grow stronger and fitter. Here's a complete guide to pre and post-exercise nutrition.
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‘Eating a Mediterranean diet which includes increased intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, olive oil, and whole grains can improve athletes' endurance exercise performance immediately or within a few days.’
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In a small study, investigators found that participants ran a 5K six percent faster after eating a Mediterranean diet than after eating a Western diet. Researchers found no difference between the two diets in performance in anaerobic exercise tests.
The Mediterranean diet includes whole fruits and vegetables, nuts, olive oil, and whole grains, and avoids red and processed meats, dairy, trans and saturated fats and refined sugars.
![Mediterranean Diet Can Prevent Bone Loss in Osteoporosis Patients]( "Mediterranean Diet Can Prevent Bone Loss in Osteoporosis Patients")
Mediterranean diet can reduce bone loss in people with osteoporosis. Eating increased intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, olive oil, unrefined cereals, and fish can increase bone density in the femoral neck.
By comparison, the Western diet is characterized by low intake of fruit, vegetables and unrefined or minimally processed oils and high intakes of trans and saturated fats, dairy, refined sugars, refined and highly processed vegetable oils, sodium and processed foods.
Senior researcher Edward Weiss, Ph.D., professor of nutrition and dietetics at SLU, says the Mediterranean diet is well-established as having numerous health benefits. He and his team hypothesized that the diet's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, more alkaline pH and dietary nitrates might lead to improved exercise performance.
"Many individual nutrients in the Mediterranean diet improve exercise performance immediately or within a few days. Therefore, it makes sense that a whole dietary pattern that includes these nutrients is also quick to improve performance," Weiss said. "However, these benefits were also quickly lost when switching to the Western diet, highlighting the importance of long-term adherence to the Mediterranean diet."
The study enrolled seven women and four men in a randomized-sequence crossover study. The participants ran five kilometers on a treadmill on two occasions - once after four days on a Mediterranean diet and on another occasion after four days on a Western diet, with a period of nine to 16 days separating the two tests.
Weiss says the study found the 5K run time was six percent faster after the Mediterranean diet than the Western diet despite similar heart rates and ratings of perceived exertion.
"This study provides evidence that a diet that is known to be good for health is also good for exercise performance," Weiss said. "Like the general population, athletes and other exercise enthusiasts commonly eat unhealthy diets. Now they have an additional incentive to eat healthy."
Source: Eurekalert
Mediterranean Diet Can Prevent Bone Loss in Osteoporosis Patients
Mediterranean diet can reduce bone loss in people with osteoporosis. Eating increased intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, olive oil, unrefined cereals, and fish can increase bone density in the femoral neck.
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By comparison, the Western diet is characterized by low intake of fruit, vegetables and unrefined or minimally processed oils and high intakes of trans and saturated fats, dairy, refined sugars, refined and highly processed vegetable oils, sodium and processed foods.
Senior researcher Edward Weiss, Ph.D., professor of nutrition and dietetics at SLU, says the Mediterranean diet is well-established as having numerous health benefits. He and his team hypothesized that the diet's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, more alkaline pH and dietary nitrates might lead to improved exercise performance.
"Many individual nutrients in the Mediterranean diet improve exercise performance immediately or within a few days. Therefore, it makes sense that a whole dietary pattern that includes these nutrients is also quick to improve performance," Weiss said. "However, these benefits were also quickly lost when switching to the Western diet, highlighting the importance of long-term adherence to the Mediterranean diet."
The study enrolled seven women and four men in a randomized-sequence crossover study. The participants ran five kilometers on a treadmill on two occasions - once after four days on a Mediterranean diet and on another occasion after four days on a Western diet, with a period of nine to 16 days separating the two tests.
Weiss says the study found the 5K run time was six percent faster after the Mediterranean diet than the Western diet despite similar heart rates and ratings of perceived exertion.
"This study provides evidence that a diet that is known to be good for health is also good for exercise performance," Weiss said. "Like the general population, athletes and other exercise enthusiasts commonly eat unhealthy diets. Now they have an additional incentive to eat healthy."
Source: Eurekalert
Top Nutrition Tips for a Marathon Runner
Eat the right kind of foods choosing from these nutrition tips for the physical and mental preparation needed for endurance training as in marathon running, swimming and cycling.
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 New MedDairy Diet Can Boost Your Heart Health: Here’s HowGood news to all yogurt and cheese lovers: Eating a MedDairy diet can offer surprising heart health benefits for thousands of people. Adding two to three servings of dairy products to your Mediterranean diet every day can boost your heart and cognitive health, reveals a new study. | Advertisement
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