Benefits more than the heart

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Health tips: Mediterranean diet — benefits beyond the heart

Dear Reader,

For decades, researchers have demonstrated the Mediterranean diet’s benefits to heart health and longevity. The diet is a way of eating that’s based on traditional cuisines of Greece, Italy and other countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Plant-based foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes such as beans and lentils, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices, are the foundation of the diet. Olive oil is the main source of added fat.

Recently, studies have found benefits of the diet that go beyond the heart, including:

Relieving pain — A study of older adults in Spain found that people who followed the diet plus its accompanying focus on physical activity and healthy socializing reported improvements in chronic pain over those who lived less in line with the diet and its related healthy behaviors.
Boosting strength and vitality — A large study in Boston found that older adults who strictly followed the diet significantly reduced their risk of frailty as they aged. This was particularly noticeable with one component of the diet — eating brightly colored fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants called carotenoids.
Improving mental health — A study in Australia found that people with depression showed improved symptoms and decreased severity of the disease when following a Mediterranean diet compared with those who didn’t change their diet.
Restoring liver function — A review of existing studies found that switching to a Mediterranean diet significantly improves the severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The improvement was especially strong when people lost weight as a result of being on the diet.

If you're looking for a healthy eating plan, the Mediterranean diet might be right for you. It's less of a diet, meaning a restricted way to eat, and more of a lifestyle. The Mediterranean diet has a lot of flexibility, so you can make it a delicious and nutritious way to eat.

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