Mediterranean Diet Comprising Olive Oil Delays Diabetes: Study

Scientists have found that sticking to Mediterranean diet comprising olive oil, fish and whole grains, fruits, vegetables is beneficial for those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes as it slows the advancement of the disease. Participants were tracked for more than eight years as part of the trial. “There's been lots of epidemiology suggesting that a Mediterranean diet was beneficial with metabolic syndrome and diabetes,” Dr Leanne Olansky told Reuters Health.

Lead study author Katherine Esposito told Reuters Health that those detected with diabetes should follow a healthy diet and Mediterranean diet is a healthy take.

She further added that diabetics usually reduce the fats in their food to cut down the calories. But the study suggests that while reducing the fats, it’s important not to do away with healthy fats.

“One of the main aspects of the Mediterranean diet is the percentage of daily fat, which is higher than 30 per cent of daily calories, however, the main fat is monounsaturated, usually from olive oil in the Mediterranean basin,” said Esposito of the Diabetes Unit at University Hospital at the Second University of Naples in Italy.

Mediterranean diet comprises lots of vegetables and whole grains and most of the red meat is replaced with poultry and fish. The low-fat diet limits fatty or sugary snacks, keeping fats to less than 30 per cent of daily calorie intake.

For participants on low-fat diet, medication for diabetes started after six years. On the other hand, participants on Mediterranean diet started medication after eight years.

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The findings were published in Journal Diabetes Care.

According to a new study in Boston, eating too much of trans-fat ups the chance of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

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Source-Medindia