Decrease Your Risk of Diabetes without Losing Weight

We all know how hard it is to lose weight and keep those pounds off. Most diets end up being like yoyos. The sad fact is that for most people diets are not that effective in the long run. We all want to be thinner and yet we are constantly being told that we are getting heavier and heavier. The incidence of diabetes is increasing along with America's increasing waistline. The drumbeat of bad news continues.

Finally, some good news. A remarkable study was recently published that demonstrated that a Mediterranean diet reduced the chance of developing diabetes by about half over a 5 year period when compared to a low fat diet. In the subjects, neither calorie restriction nor physical activity was promoted. No surprise- there was no weight loss. Big surprise- the chance of developing diabetes went down by half.

What does the Mediterranean diet consist of:

• Abundant use of olive oil for cooking and dressing.
• Increased consumption of fruit, vegetables, legumes, and fish.
• Reduction in total meat consumption, recommending white meat instead of red or processed meat.
• Preparation of homemade sauce with tomato, garlic, onion, and spices with olive oil to dress vegetables, pasta, rice, and other dishes.
• Avoidance of butter, cream, fast-food, sweets, pastries, and sugar-sweetened beverages.
• In alcohol drinkers, moderate consumption of red wine.

Bottom Line: Consider the Mediterranean Diet for your health

Salas-Salvadó. J, Bullo M, Babio N et al. Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with the Mediterranean Diet: Results of the PREDIMED-Reus Nutrition Intervention Randomized trial. Diabetes Care 2010: DOI:10.2337/dc10-1288. Available at: http://care.diabetesjournals.org.