scholarly journals The Mediterranean Diet: Plant Lectins as Essential Components

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-112
Author(s):  
Emeritus Ian F Pryme
2004 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 959-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Panza ◽  
V Solfrizzi ◽  
AM Colacicco ◽  
A D'Introno ◽  
C Capurso ◽  
...  

AbstractObjective:To investigate the possible role of diet in age-related cognitive decline (ARCD) and cognitive impairment of both degenerative (Alzheimer's disease, AD) and vascular (vascular dementia, VaD) origin.Design:Literature review.Results:In an elderly population of southern Italy with a typical Mediterranean diet, high energy intake of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) appeared to be associated with a high level of protection against ARCD. In addition, dietary fat and energy in the elderly seem to be risk factors, while fish consumption and cereals are found to reduce the prevalence of AD in European and North American countries. Finally, the relative risk of dementia (AD and VaD) was lower in the subjects of a French cohort who drank three or four glasses of red wine each day compared with total abstainers.Conclusion:Essential components of the Mediterranean diet – MUFA, cereals and wine – seem to be protective against cognitive decline. As such, dietary antioxidants and supplements, specific macronutrients of the Mediterranean diet, oestrogens and anti-inflammatory drugs may act synergistically with other protective factors, opening up new therapeutic interventions for cognitive decline.


2015 ◽  
Vol 85 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 202-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivona Višekruna ◽  
Ivana Rumbak ◽  
Ivana Rumora Samarin ◽  
Irena Keser ◽  
Jasmina Ranilović

Abstract. Results of epidemiologic studies and clinical trials have shown that subjects following the Mediterranean diet had lower inflammatory markers such as homocysteine (Hcy). Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess female diet quality with the Mediterranean diet quality index (MDQI) and to determine the correlation between MDQI, homocysteine, folate and vitamin B12 levels in the blood. The study participants were 237 apparently healthy women (96 of reproductive age and 141 postmenopausal) between 25 and 93 years. For each participant, 24-hour dietary recalls for 3 days were collected, MDQI was calculated, and plasma Hcy, serum and erythrocyte folate and vitamin B12 levels were analysed. Total MDQI ranged from 8 to 10 points, which represented a medium-poor diet for the subjects. The strength of correlation using biomarkers, regardless of group type, age, gender and other measured parameters, was ranked from best (0.11) to worst (0.52) for olive oil, fish, fruits and vegetables, grains, and meat, in this order. Hcy levels showed the best response among all markers across all groups and food types. Our study shows significant differences between variables of the MDQI and Hcy levels compared to levels of folate and vitamin B12 in participants with medium-poor diet quality, as evaluated according to MDQI scores.


Diabetes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 192-LB
Author(s):  
JOSIEMER MATTEI ◽  
SHERMAN J. BIGORNIA ◽  
MERCEDES SOTOS-PRIETO ◽  
TAMMY SCOTT ◽  
XIANG GAO ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Luisa Lampignano ◽  
Roberta Zupo ◽  
Rossella Donghia ◽  
Vito Guerra ◽  
Fabio Castellana ◽  
...  

Background: There is moderate-to-high evidence that the Mediterranean diet prevents increases in body weight and waist circumference in non-obese individuals but less is known about its effects in subjects with overweight and obesity. The present study was focused on exploring the cross-sectional association among the adherence to Mediterranean diet and the most commonly used variables of metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors in a cohort of overweight subjects from a typical Mediterranean region, Apulia, in Southern Italy. Methods:: The study was performed in a cohort of 1214 individuals, all with overweight or obesity but no other clinical condition. We investigated the association among adherence to Mediterranean diet, assessed with the PREDIMED score, and anthropometric parameters [namely body mass index (BMI), WC, waist to height ratio (WHtR) and neck circumference (NC)], fasting serum levels of glucose, insulin, uric acid and lipids (triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol), and blood pressure and insulin resistance, measured by HOMA-IR. Results:: The waist to height ratio was negatively associated to a PREDIMED score ≥7 (p<0.04), whereas HDL cholesterol was positively associated to a PREDIMED score ≥7 (p<0.04) Conclusion: This study suggests that body fat distribution and HDL-cholesterol are the parameters most strongly influenced by MedDiet in Apulian subjects.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e040959
Author(s):  
Saman Khalatbari-Soltani ◽  
Pedro Marques-Vidal ◽  
Fumiaki Imamura ◽  
Nita G. Forouhi

ObjectiveThe Mediterranean diet has been promoted as a healthy dietary pattern, but whether the Mediterranean diet may help to prevent hepatic steatosis is not clear. This study aimed to evaluate the prospective association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and risk of hepatic steatosis.DesignPopulation-based prospective cohort study.SettingThe Swiss CoLaus Study.ParticipantsWe evaluated 2288 adults (65.4% women, aged 55.8±10.0 years) without hepatic steatosis at first follow-up in 2009–2012. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was scaled as the Mediterranean diet score (MDS) based on the Mediterranean diet pyramid ascertained with responses to Food Frequency Questionnaires.Outcome measuresNew onset of hepatic steatosis was ascertained by two indices separately: the Fatty Liver Index (FLI, ≥60 points) and the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) score (≥−0.640 points). Prospective associations between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and risk of hepatic steatosis were quantified using Poisson regression.ResultsDuring a mean 5.3 years of follow-up, hepatic steatosis was ascertained in 153 (6.7%) participants by FLI criteria and in 208 (9.1%) by NAFLD score. After multivariable adjustment, higher adherence to MDS was associated with lower risk of hepatic steatosis based on FLI: risk ratio 0.84 (95% CI 0.73 to 0.96) per 1 SD of MDS; 0.85 (0.73 to 0.99) adjusted for BMI; and 0.85 (0.71 to 1.02) adjusted for both BMI and waist circumference. When using NAFLD score, no significant association was found between MDS and risk of hepatic steatosis (0.95 (0.83 to 1.09)).ConclusionA potential role of the Mediterranean diet in the prevention of hepatic steatosis is suggested by the inverse association observed between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and incidence of hepatic steatosis based on the FLI. The inconsistency of this association when hepatic steatosis was assessed by NAFLD score points to the need for accurate population-level assessment of fatty liver and its physiological markers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (24) ◽  
pp. 9144
Author(s):  
Elena Chatzopoulou ◽  
Márcio Carocho ◽  
Francesco Di Gioia ◽  
Spyridon A. Petropoulos

The Mediterranean diet (MD) concept as currently known describes the dietary patterns that were followed in specific regions of the area in the 1950s and 1960s. The broad recognition of its positive effects on the longevity of Mediterranean populations also led to the adoption of this diet in other regions of the world, and scientific interest focused on revealing its health effects. MD is not only linked with eating specific nutritional food products but also with social, religious, environmental, and cultural aspects, thus representing a healthy lifestyle in general. However, modern lifestyles adhere to less healthy diets, alienating people from their heritage. Therefore, considering the increasing evidence of the beneficial health effects of adherence to the MD and the ongoing transitions in consumers’ behavior, the present review focuses on updating the scientific knowledge regarding this diet and its relevance to agrobiodiversity. In addition, it also considers a sustainable approach for new marketing opportunities and consumer trends of the MD.


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