Add Fat to the Mediterranean Diet? Some Benefits Found

The August issue of Integrative Medicine Alert included a review of a sub-analysis of the PREDIMED, or PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea, dataset,1 showing that long-term vegetable fat enrichment of a Mediterranean diet leads to less weight gain and less of an increase of central adiposity than a co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Integrative medicine alert 2016-09, Vol.19 (9)
Main Author: Kiefer, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Breast cancer
Cognitive ability
Diabetes
Diet
Low density lipoprotein
Meta-analysis
Physiology
Rheumatoid arthritis
Studies
Systematic review
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Summary:The August issue of Integrative Medicine Alert included a review of a sub-analysis of the PREDIMED, or PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea, dataset,1 showing that long-term vegetable fat enrichment of a Mediterranean diet leads to less weight gain and less of an increase of central adiposity than a control diet. Criteria (verbatim) for Mediterranean Diet in the Bloomfield et al Meta-analysis * A high monounsaturated-to-saturated fat ratio* High fruit and vegetable intake* High consumption of legumes* High grain and cereal intake* Moderate red wine consumption* Low consumption of meat and meat products with increased intake of fish Studies were included in the meta-analysis if they had at least 100 study participants and were followed for at least one year, although these restrictions were not mandated for studies on rheumatoid arthritis nor cognitive impairment. Results of Mediterranean Diet Groups Compared to Control for Different Variables Variable Mediterranean Diet Control Diet Statistical Difference* Primary prevention of all-cause mortality No difference Cognitive impairment Mixed results Rheumatoid arthritis No difference Major cardiovascular events Lower incidence HR, 0.71 (CI, 0.56-0.90) Breast cancer Lower incidence HR, 0.43 (CI, 0.21-0.88) Diabetes Lower incidence HR, 0.70 (CI, 0.54-0.92) *HR = hazard ratio; CI = 95% confidence interval The take-home points here are as follows: 1) the benefits of the Mediterranean diet for some significant health outcomes cannot be denied, 2) fat intake may have a protective effect on cardiovascular outcomes as per a few clinical trials (the most interesting result here, and one that continues to debunk the “dangers” of fat in the diet), and 3) more, high-quality controlled trials are necessary to comment on most other health conditions, including the ability of people to adhere to this type of diet.
ISSN:2325-2812
2325-2820