Eating more like the Greeks may protect people at high risk for heart disease and diabetes.
According to CBS Health, a new study found that the Mediterranean diet, which consisted fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and fats from either extra-virgin olive oil or nuts, can lower an individual's risk of developing type two diabetes, by 30 percent.
The diet alone, without counting calories or increasing exercise was found effective to lowering the risk of the disease. Mediterranean diets, are also low in red meat and high-fat dairy, prime sources of saturated fat.
"Randomized trials have shown that lifestyle interventions promoting weight loss can reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes, however, whether dietary changes without calorie restriction or increased physical activity also protect from diabetes development has not been evaluated in the past," lead author of the study Dr. Jordi Salas-Salvado, professor of nutrition at Rovira i Virgili University, told Reuters Health.
A group of Spanish researchers, led by Salas-Salvado, looked at 3,541 men and women between the ages of 55 and 80, who were at a high risk of heart disease, but none were diabetic. The study found that 30 percent were less likely to develop diabetes over the next four years, compared to those who had been assigned to a general low-fat diet. For a few Mediterranean recipes click here.
The participants were divided into three groups randomly. During the study 273 participants were diagnosed with diabetes, highest among low-fat groups. Eighty people or 6.9 percent ate a diet with extra-virgin olive oil, 92 people or 7.4 percent ate one with nuts; and 101 people or 8.8 percent had a low-fat diet.
"A Mediterranean diet enriched with EVOO but without energy restrictions reduced diabetes risk among persons with high cardiovascular risk," the authors, wrote in their study.
None of the participants were asked to change their calories count or increase physical activity. Most participants had little change to their body weight, during the study. Lisa Young, an adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University, stated that monounsaturated fats from olive oil and Omega-3 fatty acids can help stabilize blood sugar.
"In the Mediterranean diet, people do end up eating less overall with it, so they probably will end up eating less calories," Young says. "But the nice thing about the Mediterranean diet is that it's high in fiber, particularly soluble fiber, which is good for [combating] diabetes, and nuts, which helps to stabilize the blood sugar."
According to the study the number of people living with Type 2 diabetes has doubled in the past 30 years, with nearly 347 million living with the disease in 2010. The study stated the dangers of Type 2 diabetes, which can cause blindness and kidney failure.
There have been countless studies in the past that push the importance of Mediterranean diet in fighting other types of deadly diseases. The study, published today in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.