Dining by the Sea

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

 

 

Subject:Dining by the Sea

Tue, 30 Nov 2004 09:11:22 -0500

 

Dining by the Sea

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

 

November 30, 2004

 

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Dear Reader,

 

Today is the final day of Diabetes Awareness Month, so before we

push on into December, we'll take one more trip to the

Mediterranean.

 

In the e-Alert " Club Med " (11/24/04), I told you about a Greek

study that found olive oil to be the element in the Mediterranean

diet that may be most responsible for controlling high blood

pressure.

 

Now a new study from Italy shows that the Mediterranean diet

may also offer significant benefits for diabetics.

 

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SUNny Italy

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A recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association

carried two studies that revealed benefits of the Mediterranean diet.

The first was conducted by researchers at the Second University of

Naples (SUN) in Italy, who examined the effects of the diet on

adults diagnosed with metabolic syndrome X (MSX).

 

As I've noted in previous e-Alerts, MSX is a combination of

symptoms (such as obesity, insulin resistance, low HDL

cholesterol, elevated triglyceride and C-reactive protein levels,

etc.) that create a high risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. By

some estimates, as many as one out of four adults in the U.S. may

have sets of symptoms that would qualify as a diagnosis of MSX.

 

The SUN researchers recruited 180 MSX patients, almost evenly

divided between men and women. Half of the group, chosen at

random, agreed to follow a Mediterranean-style diet, and received

instruction on how to adjust their diets to be low in dairy and meat,

and high in fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, whole grains, nuts and

olive oil. The other half of the group followed what the researchers

refer to as a " prudent diet, " consisting of 50-60 percent

carbohydrates, 15-20 percent proteins, and less than 30 percent

total fat.

 

After following the diets for two years, a series of tests revealed

these changes in the Mediterranean diet subjects compared to

subjects in the prudent diet group:

 

* Fiber intake was higher

* Omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids ratios were lower

* C-reactive protein and triglyceride levels were lower

* Body weight was significantly lower

* HDL cholesterol increased

* Blood pressure decreased

* Glucose levels decreased

* Insulin resistance decreased

 

In the end, only 40 subjects in the Mediterranean diet group still

had symptoms that would add up to a diagnosis of MSX, while

nearly twice that number in the prudent diet group continued to

have MSX symptoms.

 

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Life saver

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The second Mediterranean diet study didn't focus on MSX or other

diabetic factors, but the results are worth noting to understand how

far reaching the benefits of this diet may be.

 

Researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands

examined the dietary and medical records of more than 2,300

elderly subjects enrolled in an ongoing study on healthy aging in

several European countries. Mortality causes in this group were

followed over a ten-year period.

 

It's not necessarily a surprise that subjects who were physically

active, didn't smoke, drank alcohol in moderation and adhered to a

Mediterranean diet had a lower risk of all-cause mortality during

the decade. But when risks were examined more specifically,

mortality risks from cancer, cardiovascular diseases and coronary

heart disease were all significantly lower among the subjects who

ate foods consistent with the Mediterranean diet.

 

Over the years, researchers have wondered if following the

Mediterranean diet in Italy or Greece is comparable to following

this same diet in Kennebunkport or Wichita. Could lifestyle factors

of Mediterranean citizens come into play? Is wine consumption a

factor? Is the air healthier? Is it something in the water? Or

something that's NOT in the water?

 

The jury is still out on those considerations. What's irrefutable is

that most of us would benefit from a diet that includes plenty of

fresh whole foods, more dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids,

and a minimum of processed foods – especially refined, simple

carbohydrates.

 

And to add one timely note: Last week, the foremost U.S.

proponent of the Mediterranean diet passed away. Ancel Keys was

a University of Minnesota public health scientist who spent a good

deal of time in his second home in Italy.

 

Keys' diet apparently served him well. He was 100 years old.

 

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....and another thing

 

I'll bet things are a little frosty around the workplace for David

Graham these days.

 

Mr. Graham is the associate director of the Office of Drug Safety

for the FDA. And although you may not recognize his name, you

probably saw him recently on the evening news after he appeared

before the Senate Finance Committee and threw his agency to the

wolves, along with five popular drugs that he said should be

avoided because of safety concerns. He charged that the FDA is

ignoring these concerns.

 

I've got a hunch he's probably not going to be asked to play Santa

at the office Christmas party this year.

 

When the news about Mr. Graham's testimony broke, a friend of

mine sent me an e-mail with an Associated Press report about the

list of five dangerous drugs, which included the cholesterol-

lowering drug Crestor. And you can file this one under " You can't

make this stuff up " : The top of the AP report carried a banner

advertisement for – yep – Crestor.

 

D'oh!

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

 

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Sources:

" Effect of a Mediterranean-Style Diet on Endothelial Dysfunction

and Markers of Vascular Inflammation in the Metabolic

Syndrome " Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol.

292, No. 12, September 22/29, 2004, jama.ama-assn.org

" Mediterranean Diet, Lifestyle Factors, and 10-Year Mortality in

Elderly European Men and Women " Journal of the American

Medical Association, Vol. 292, No. 12, September 22/29, 2004,

jama.ama-assn.org

" Mediterranean Diet Scores Twice " NutraIngredients.com,

9/22/04, nutraingredients.com

" Expert: Public 'Defenseless' Vs. Bad Drugs " Diedtra Henderson,

The Associated Press, 11/18/04, ap.org

 

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