Additional Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Nuts

Some additional information from the article by Jacob Schor in the February 2015 Cardiology supplement of the Natural Medicine Journal involving the Prevencion con Dieta Mediterranea (PREDIMED) study found the participants who were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (blood sugar imbalance/high fasting blood sugar) at the start of the study and were in the Mediterranean Diet (MD) + olive oil group or the MD + nuts group were more likely to reverse this diagnosis than participants in the control group.  The participants in the MD + olive oil group and the MD  + nuts group were also found to have better cognitive function measurements than the participants in the control group. As well, participants who had the highest baseline fiber consumption at the start of the study had a 37% lower risk of death and those with the highest baseline fruit consumption had a 41% lower risk of death compared to those who had the lowest baseline consumption of fiber and fruit.  As well, participants with the highest dietary magnesium intake (which equalled approximately 454 mg of magnesium per day) had a 35% lower risk of death than the participants with the lowest intake.   This additional information further highlights the importance of aiming to follow the Mediterranean Diet guidelines and of integrating extra virgin olive oil and nuts into our regular routine.