Benefits of the Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is often hailed as the heart-healthy way to eat, but some southern Europeans are joining the rest of us in taking to salt-and-sugar-laden baked products for sustenance. People in the eastern Mediterranean part of Spain, for example, are renowned for their longevity and healthy diet.

And yet, cardiovascular disease accounts for 33% of deaths in Spain overall. So, researchers from the University of Valencia analysed the diets of nearly 1,000 people aged between 55 and 80, all of whom had a high cardiovascular risk, in order to assess how meat and fish consumption might affect their health.

They found that this particular group of Mediterraneans ate large amounts of both red meat and fish. However, when the researchers dug deeper into the data, they found that eating fish was linked to lower glucose levels and probably accounted, at least in part, for a reduced risk of developing diabetes. They also found that a diet high in cured meats was linked to a higher risk of becoming overweight or obese.

Mediterranean diet

Eating fish regularly – three or four times a week – however, did not have the same association with ill health. Those eating white or oily fish on a regular basis had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. “Scientists aren’t sure why fish appears to help prevent diabetes,” says registered nutritionist Dr Carina Norris. “It could be down to omega-3 and insulin sensitivity but there’s no concrete evidence to support this.

I would suggest keeping red meat consumption to a minimum – once or twice a week – minimising your intake of cured and processed meat, and upping your fish intake to at least twice a week. The rest of your main meals could contain vegetable proteins, such as in lentils, beans and tofu, for example.”