Mediterranean way to keep diabetes at bay
May 31st 2008
A study from the University of Navarra in Spain has found that a Mediterranean can halve the risk of developing the Type 2 diabetes. The study involved 13,000 people over 8 years.
Those who stuck closely to a Mediterranean diet had an 83% lower risk of developing diabetes. Even those who had other risk factors such as being older, a family history of the illness and a history of smoking were less likely to develop diabetes if they stuck to the diet.
An earlier study of over 500,000 people carried out by the National Cancer Institute in America and the University of Cambridge over 5 years found that those who adhered to the diet cut the risk of dying early by a fifth. Evidence has also emerged this year that women who eat a Mediterranean diet while pregnant could protect their children against asthma and allergies.
Professor Martinez-Gonzalez from the University of Navarra said that those wishing to experience the full benefits of the diet should consume plenty of olive oil, grains and fish but reduce their intake of meat, dairy products and alcohol. The study is published in the British Medical Journal.
(Telegraph, p5; Times, p27; Independent, p4; Express, p15)
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