In a recent study published within the Nutrients Journal,  researchers investigated the association between adherence to the Mediterranean weight loss program and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Lausanne, Switzerland — a non-Mediterranean population.

Study: Association between Mediterranean Diet and Type 2 Diabetes: Multiple Cross-Sectional Analyses. Image Credit: AntoninaVlasova/Shutterstock.com

Background

Type 2 diabetes, together with obesity, is a growing epidemic worldwide, especially in Western countries, and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is anticipated to surpass 500 million by the 12 months 2035.

While genetics and age have a serious role in developing type 2 diabetes, physical activity levels and weight loss program are two modifiable risk aspects of type 2 diabetes, aiming to stop type 2 diabetes by lowering the incidence of obesity.

The Mediterranean weight loss program, generally practiced in some countries near the Mediterranean Sea, including Greece, Lebanon, and Turkey, that cultivate olives significantly reduces the chance of obesity.

This weight loss program comprises a high intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, fish, and seafood, alcohol and dairy products consumed moderately, and a really low intake of pork.

Given the known advantages of the Mediterranean weight loss program in cardiovascular health and in lowering the chance of neurodegenerative diseases and its positive impact on the climate and sustainability, adherence to the weight loss program has prolonged beyond Mediterranean regions.

In regards to the study

In the current study, the researchers examined adherence to the Mediterranean weight loss program outside the Mediterranean region in Lausanne, Switzerland. They investigated its impact on lowering the chance of type 2 diabetes.

Given the undeniable fact that Switzerland has a really well-developed healthcare system with one in every of the bottom obesity rates among the many Western countries, and the general population has a high socioeconomic status, the impact of adherence to the Mediterranean weight loss program on the chance of type 2 diabetes might be studied among the many Swiss population without major confounding aspects.

Data were obtained from a prospective, population-based study assessing the genetic, biological, and clinical aspects determining heart problems risk. The study administered a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and conducted a clinical examination and blood tests.

The food frequency questionnaire assessed the dietary intake and portion sizes of a complete of 97 food items that constituted 90% of the carbohydrate, fat, protein, cholesterol, alcohol, retinol, vitamin D, and caloric intake and 85% of the iron, carotene, and fiber content of the weight loss program.

Information from three follow-ups was used to evaluate the adherence to the Mediterranean weight loss program, and the adherence was calculated using two different methods. One method examined the intake of eight major food types, including vegetables, fruits, cereals, meat, legumes, dairy products, ethanol, and the ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fats.

This method assigned scores based on the consumption of useful and detrimental foods. The opposite method scored the dietary intake similarly but examined the portion sizes of vegetables, fruits, cereals, alcohol, meat, dairy products, and olive oil.

Type 2 diabetes was defined based on fasting plasma glucose levels or the usage of insulin or oral antidiabetic treatments. Information on other covariates akin to socioeconomic status, education levels, alcohol consumption, smoking behavior, body measurements, and blood pressure was also gathered.

Fasting plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels were assessed using blood samples.

Results

The outcomes reported that after adjusting for multiple variables, no significant association was found between adherence to the Mediterranean weight loss program and the incidence of type 2 diabetes among the many non-Mediterranean population.

The adherence to the Mediterranean weight loss program was found to be high amongst individuals who had a lower body mass index, had higher education, didn’t smoke often, and had a lower occurrence of hypertension but often consumed alcohol.

The shortage of association between adherence to the Mediterranean weight loss program and the incidence of type 2 diabetes didn’t change based on the extent of adherence to the weight loss program either. There have been some differences within the adherence patterns between the 2 methods used to attain dietary adherence.

While one method found that the participants who had higher adherence to the Mediterranean weight loss program were mostly women and infrequent alcohol drinkers, the opposite method found no sex-based differences within the adherence patterns but reported that frequent alcohol drinkers had higher adherence to the Mediterranean weight loss program.

Unlike many other studies that reported an inverse association between the Mediterranean weight loss program and sort 2 diabetes, the current study found no correlation between the 2 aspects.

The researchers consider the null finding may very well be attributable to inadequate methods of assessing the Mediterranean weight loss program amongst a non-Mediterranean population.

For the reason that kinds of foods consumed inside the larger categories of the Mediterranean weight loss program and the food preparation methods can differ in non-Mediterranean countries, the Mediterranean weight loss program scores might have been overestimated within the study.

Conclusions

Overall, the findings reported that among the many non-Mediterranean population, adherence to the Mediterranean weight loss program was not correlated to a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes, no matter the degrees of adherence to the dietary pattern.

These results emphasize the necessity for more accurate methods of assessing Mediterranean diets amongst populations outside of the Mediterranean region, considering the differences in food types and preparation methods.