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As you may already know, the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is characterized by being abundant in plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes), healthy fats (extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), nuts) and white meat among other food groups. Following this diet has proven to be an effective approach to prevent a variety of diseases and to improve the prognosis of many others. This is also true in special circumstances such as pregnancy, which is an important stage of life for both the mother and her offspring. Diet and other lifestyle factors can have an influence on various aspects of pregnancy. A study involving 5688 expectant mothers from Greece was carried out to determine whether there was any correlation between adherence to the MedDiet and different gestational aspects, including perinatal outcomes, breastfeeding practices, and other sociodemographic and anthropometric measurements. Researchers concluded that women who closely followed the MedDiet were less likely to be overweight or obese prior to becoming pregnant. Moreover, they were less likely to experience excessive weight gain during pregnancy or to develop gestational diabetes. Additionally, increased adherence to the MedDiet was associated with vaginal delivery and exclusive breastfeeding for at least 16 weeks postpartum. These results suggest that following a MedDiet during pregnancy could be related to better maternal and offspring health.
Diabetes is an increasingly prevalent disease that is highly influenced by diet. A substantial amount of evidence supports a protective effect of the MedDiet against type 2 diabetes. However, no study has used yearly repeated measures of dietary intake. New research from the PREDIMED trial addresses this important issue and quantifies actual compliance to the MedDiet throughout the entire period of the trial. For this study, researchers recruited more than 7000 people at increased cardiovascular risk (CR) (diabetes-free) and created 3 groups, each with different diets: MedDiet supplemented with EVOO, MedDiet supplemented with nuts, and low-fat diet. Researchers analyzed dietary data obtained during the years of follow-up and concluded that participants at high CR with better adherence to the MedDiet supplemented with EVOO had lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those who had lower adherence within the same group, but also compared to participants included in the other two groups. These findings were also supported by biological markers. These results underscore once more the benefits of the MedDiet on type 2 diabetes and suggest that dietary counseling could be an affordable approach to prevent the forthcoming explosion of this disease.
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