Mediterranean diet triumphs again

Adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet may almost halve the need for treatment with antihyperglycaemic drug therapy in people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, research shows. The randomised study of 215 overweight people with newly diagnosed diabetes examined the effects of both a Mediterranean-style diet, which was low in carbohydrates and had no less than 30% of calories from fat, and a low-fat diet that had the same overall energy intake but a goal of no more than 30% of calories from fat and no more than 10% from saturated fat. After four years, the study found that 44% of patients in the Mediterranean group and 70% of patients in the low-fat group required treatment with antihyperglycaemic drugs (p<0.001). Participants assigned to the Mediterranean-style diet also experienced greater reductions in weight, BMI and waist circumference after one year (-2kg, -1kg/m2 and -1.3cm respectively), although there were no statistically significant differences by years three and four. Participants in the Mediterranean group also experienced greater improvements in fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c levels, HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. “There were no differences in the degree to which participants in each group increased their physical activity or decreased their caloric intake, so the effect seems specific to the Mediterranean diet and is probably, although not exclusively, linked to its ability to induce greater weight loss,” the study authors said. Ann Intern Med. 2009; 306-314...