This week on OHIS

This week on the Olive Health Information System website

The newsletter of the University of Navarra and the IOC dedicated to health

Adherence to a Mediterranean diet enriched with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) has been linked to improved mental health. Recent findings from the PREDIDEP study, a two-year randomized trial, further support this connection. The study examined the impact of a Mediterranean diet intervention supplemented with EVOO on preventing depression recurrence. Depression symptoms were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory at baseline and at 4, 8, 16, 20, and 24 months of follow-up. Notably, participants who maintained strong adherence to the Mediterranean diet after one year of intervention showed a significant reduction in depressive symptoms at the 24-month follow-up. These results suggest that a nutritional intervention based on the Mediterranean diet, particularly rich in EVOO, may help reduce subsyndromal depressive symptoms in patients with depressive episodes.

In addition to mental health benefits, the Mediterranean diet may also play a crucial role in preventing metabolic disorders. A cross-sectional study published this week explored the relationship between the Mediterranean Diet Index (MEDI) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The analysis included data from 4,690 participants in the 2017–2020 cycle of the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Findings revealed that participants in the highest MEDI category had a 44% lower risk of developing MASLD compared to those in the lowest category. While large-scale randomized controlled trials are necessary to draw definitive conclusions, these results suggest that adhering to a Mediterranean diet could be beneficial in managing and preventing MASLD.

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