I blogged about a study by Gu et al on April 30, 2010, that found significantly lower incidence of Alzheimer dementia in people in Manhattan who followed this dietary pattern: relatively high consumption of salad dressing, nuts, fish, tomatoes, fruits, dark green leafy vegetables, and cruciferous vegetables relatively low consumption of poultry, red meat, butter, and high-fat [...]
Entries Tagged as ‘Health Benefits’
July 2, 2010
Basic Science: Mediterranean Diet Boosts Antioxidant Power
Compared to the low-fat American Heart Association diet, the traditional Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil has more capacity to counteract potentially harmful “free radicals” and “reactive oxygen species” in our bodies, according to researchers at the University of Navarra in Spain. Our tissues normally contain free radicals and reactive oxygen species, which are intrinsic [...]
June 24, 2010
Not Much Available To Prevent Age-Related Mental Decline?
You might find interesting my recent review of an article commissioned by the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. It’s at one of my other blogs, Advanced Mediterranean Diet. The NIH panel concluded there’s not much we can do. But are they right? Steve Parker, M.D.
May 1, 2010
Mediterranean Month: Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
Oldways, the preeminent promoter of the Mediterranean diet, proclaims May to be “Mediterranean Month.” The idea is to spread awareness of the traditional Mediterranean diet. In addition to “it just plain tastes good,” I’m a Mediterranean diet advocate because of the potential health benefits. Relatively strong evidence supports the Mediterranean diet’s association with: increased lifespan lower rates of cardiovascular [...]
April 21, 2010
Red Wine Improves Circulation
Red wine’s beneficial health effects may be related to improved circulation, according to a recent study by Israeli researchers. Red wine is a time-honored component of the healthy Mediterranean diet. Consumption is associated with longer lifespan and less cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks. Israeli investigators had 14 young healthy volunteers drink 250 cc of red [...]
April 11, 2010
Longevity Components of the Mediterranean Diet
According to Greek researchers, the components of the Mediterranean diet that contribute to longer lifespan are: moderate alcohol consumption low consumption of meat high consumption of vegetables, fruits, nuts, olive oil, and legumes The following didn’t seem to contribute much, if any: cereals (the grain of a grass such as wheat, corn, oats) dairy products fish and seafood [...]
March 12, 2010
MORE Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
I ran across a good summary of the health benefits of Mediterranean-style eating at Medical News Today, published online May 6, 2009. An excerpt: The following health benefits have been observed by people who have a Mediterranean diet: Longer lifespan Lower risk of dying at any age Lower risk of dying from heart disease Lower [...]
January 12, 2010
Does Diet Influence Risk of Stroke?
Harvard researchers suggest that our food consumption does indeed influence our risk of suffering a stroke. This matters since stroke is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Scientists looked carefully at 121 different studies—published between 1979 and 2004—on the relationship between dietary factors and stroke. High blood pressure is a major modifiable risk factor [...]
January 8, 2010
What Are Phytonutrients and What Have They Done For Me Lately?
Nutrition scientists think that plants have small amounts of numerous “bioactive compounds,” sometimes referred to as phytonutrients, that protect us against disease. Many scientific studies have looked at groups of people over time, noting the various foods they eat as well as the diseases they develop. These are called epidemiologic, ecological, or observational studies. One finding is that lower rates of [...]
