Mediterranean diet may lower diabetes risk
Sticking to a Mediterranean diet may help older individuals cut their risk for developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study from Spanish researchers.
Their findings, which were published in the journal Diabetes Care, indicate that individuals may be able to avoid the condition by eating a diet that is rich in plant-based foods, even without adding exercise to their daily routine.
Researchers from the University of Rovira i Virgili in Reus examined 418 older Spanish individuals who were diabetes-free, but had three risk factors for the condition, including heart disease, high blood pressure, smoking or excess weight. Half of the group was assigned to go on a low-fat diet, while the others were instructed to begin eating a Mediterranean diet.
During the course of the four-year study, 10 to 11 percent of participants in the Mediterranean diet group develop diabetes, compared to 18 percent in the low-fat group.
"Mediterranean diets without calorie restriction appear to be effective in the prevention of diabetes in subjects at high cardiovascular risk," the authors wrote in their report.
Their findings, which were published in the journal Diabetes Care, indicate that individuals may be able to avoid the condition by eating a diet that is rich in plant-based foods, even without adding exercise to their daily routine.
Researchers from the University of Rovira i Virgili in Reus examined 418 older Spanish individuals who were diabetes-free, but had three risk factors for the condition, including heart disease, high blood pressure, smoking or excess weight. Half of the group was assigned to go on a low-fat diet, while the others were instructed to begin eating a Mediterranean diet.
During the course of the four-year study, 10 to 11 percent of participants in the Mediterranean diet group develop diabetes, compared to 18 percent in the low-fat group.
"Mediterranean diets without calorie restriction appear to be effective in the prevention of diabetes in subjects at high cardiovascular risk," the authors wrote in their report.
