Mediterranean Diet Super Fruits:
Super Fruit Berries and the Mediterranean Diet
By Dr. Paul Gross
Berrydoctor.comThe Mediterranean Diet is arguably the world's healthiest dietary practice verified by hundreds of research studies over the past half-century.
Read the Mayo Clinic summary and additional background on the diet from Wikipedia.
Its main components include those featured in the Mediterranean dietpyramid (summarized from the bottom up -- the wider parts of the pyramid are more important)
*daily physical activity
*5-10 servings daily of fruits and vegetables
*3 or more servings of whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds
*olive or grain oils (canola)
*fish and seafood, or soy protein as a substitute (limited or no red meat)
*water as the main beverage; daily but limited intake of red wine
*limited dairy products (substitute with soy)
*limited dessertsSome of the advantages of the Mediterranean Diet substantiated by science:
*Lengthen your life
*Defend you from chronic diseases
*Fight certain cancers
*Lower your risk for heart disease along with your blood pressure and
"bad" cholesterol levels*Protect you from diabetes
*Aid your weight loss and management efforts
*Keep away depression
*Safeguard you from Alzheimer's disease
*Ward off Parkinson's disease
*Improve rheumatoid arthritis
*Help you breathe better
*Lead to healthier babies
Update of Medical Opinions and Research on the Mediterranean Diet:
• Curr Opin Cardiol. 2009 Jun 20.
The Mediterranean diet revisited: evidence of its effectiveness grows.Summary
Consumption of a Mediterranean diet has been found to be associated with a reduction of overall mortality and a reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease. The Mediterranean diet has been consistently shown to be associated with favourable health outcomes and a better quality of life. The findings suggest that significant health gains can be expected in a general population whose diet reflects the nutritional principles reflected in a Mediterranean diet.
• Brit Med J. 2008 Sep 11;337:a1344.
Adherence to Mediterranean diet and health status: meta-analysis.
Summary
Greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with a significant improvement in health status, as seen by a significant reduction in overall mortality (9%), mortality from cardiovascular diseases (9%), incidence of or mortality from cancer (6%), and incidence of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease (13%). These results seem to be clinically relevant for public health, in particular for encouraging a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern for primary prevention of major chronic diseases.
• Curr Opin Lipidol. 2008 Feb;19(1):63-8.
Mediterranean diet and metabolic diseases.
Summary
Mediterranean diets could serve as an anti-inflammatory dietary pattern, which could help fight diseases related to chronic inflammation, including visceral obesity, type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome.
About the Author
Paul M. Gross, PhD, received his doctorate in physiology from the University of Glasgow, Scotland and was a post-doctoral fellow in neuroscience at the Laboratory of CerebralMetabolism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. A Research Scholar for the Heart and Stroke Foundations of Ontario and Canada, he published 85 peer-reviewed journal reports and book chapters over his 25 year career in medical science, and was recipient of the Karger Memorial Award, Switzerland, for publications on brain capillaries. Dr. Gross is senior author of a 2006 book on the goji berry entitled Wolfberry: Natures Bounty of Nutrition and Health (Booksurge Publishing, Amazon.com) and publisher of The Berry Doctor's Journal at http://berrydoctor.com where readers can obtain free information on berry science and nutrition.
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