{"id":1412,"date":"2022-03-23T15:55:06","date_gmt":"2022-03-23T15:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linksus.net\/the-green-mediterranean-diet-may-protect-health-and-the-environment-medical-news-today\/"},"modified":"2022-03-23T15:55:06","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T15:55:06","slug":"the-green-mediterranean-diet-may-protect-health-and-the-environment-medical-news-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/2022\/03\/23\/the-green-mediterranean-diet-may-protect-health-and-the-environment-medical-news-today\/","title":{"rendered":"The green Mediterranean diet may protect health and the environment – Medical News Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

People who eat a traditional Mediterranean diet have lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. But new research suggests that a \u201cgreen\u201d Mediterranean diet \u2014 which avoids all meat and provides extra greens \u2014 may be even better for human health. If the diet catches on, the benefits for planetary health could be equally impressive.
Climate scientists believe that one of the most impactful things that people can do for the environment is to reduce their consumption of meat and dairy products.
Research<\/a><\/hl-trusted-source> notes that global production of animal-based foods \u2014 including livestock feed \u2014 accounts for 57% of total greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, whereas production of plant-based foods accounts for only 29%.
Another study<\/a> estimates that if everyone became vegan<\/a>, this would reduce the amount of land worldwide that farmers need to grow food by 3.1 billion hectares or 76%.
In addition to cutting emissions from food production, say the authors, rewilding the freed-up land would remove around 8.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year for the next 100 years.
Of course, the idea that billions of people worldwide would voluntarily give up their steaks, sausages, and cheeseburgers simply to curb climate change may seem far-fetched.
But perhaps they would think twice if they knew how much it would benefit their own health.
Recent research<\/a><\/hl-trusted-source> suggests that people who eat little or no meat tend to have a lower risk of cancer, in particular colorectal cancer<\/a> and prostate cancer<\/a> in men.
Diets that combine a reduction in meat and dairy consumption with increased intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, bring further health benefits.
People who eat a typical Mediterranean diet<\/a><\/hl-trusted-source>, for example, have a lower overall mortality rate and a lower risk not only of cancer but also cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
A series of clinical trials now suggests that eating a \u201cgreen\u201d Mediterranean diet, or green Med diet, may provide additional benefits on top of those provided by the regular Mediterranean diet. <\/strong>
The diet, which adds extra plant foods rich in polyphenols<\/a> and aims to avoid meat completely, is also better for the planet.
\u201c[E]liminating meat intake \u2014 beef, pork, lamb \u2014 is by far the most important single way to reduce the carbon footprint from diet,\u201d said Dr. Meir Stampfer, Ph.D.<\/a>, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and one of the authors of the green Med studies.
\u201cThe contribution of meat to greenhouse gas emissions is enormous compared with other foods,\u201d he told Medical News Today<\/em>.
Dr. Stampfer pointed out that the total area needed for meat production includes a lot of land for growing crops to feed livestock.
So by reducing the amount of land around the world that is devoted to producing meat, the green Med diet could play a major role in the preservation of biodiversity.<\/strong>
In its 2020 report \u201cBiodiversity for Nutrition and Health<\/a><\/hl-trusted-source>\u201d, the World Health Organization (WHO) describes a virtuous circle that links varied, plant-based diets, human health, biodiversity, and sustainability.
\u201cThe significance of pressures generated by human activity on both climate change and biodiversity loss, and their impacts on nutrition and health outcomes, cannot be overstated,\u201d the authors conclude.
A traditional Mediterranean diet contains the following elements:
The diet provides an abundance of polyphenols<\/a>, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and plant fiber<\/a>.
Importantly, the classic Med diet also avoids refined grains, highly processed foods, and products with added sugars.
Scientists believe<\/a><\/hl-trusted-source> that, in combination, these features help lower levels of bad cholesterol, reduce oxidative stress<\/a> and inflammation, and improve insulin sensitivity.
Scientists in Israel, Germany, and the United States reasoned that replacing all the remaining meat in the diet with plant-based proteins could supercharge these health effects.
Over the past few years, they have conducted three clinical trials of their green Med diet <\/a><\/hl-trusted-source>on a cohort of 294 people with abdominal obesity. Participants\u2019 average age at the start of the trials was 51 years.
Over the course of their studies, they were all given free gym membership and advice about physical activity.
The researchers randomly assigned them to three diets:
People in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries eat <\/strong>Mankai<\/strong><\/a> as a \u201cvegetable meatball.\u201d <\/strong>Previous research<\/strong><\/a> by the same scientists showed that Mankai provides all the essential amino acids plus vitamin B12, making it an ideal meat substitute. <\/strong>
In the first study, the researchers examined possible extra heart health benefits of eating a green Med diet.
They report<\/a> that after 6 months, both Med diets led to greater weight loss and metabolic benefits than standard dietary advice.
However, the green Med diet led to a greater reduction in waist circumference and several other measures of cardiovascular risk. <\/strong>
For example, participants who ate this diet had improved insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure, lower levels of bad cholesterol, and less inflammation compared with those on a standard Med diet.
For their next study<\/a>, the researchers compared the amount of fat in the liver of subjects after 18 months on the three different diets.
They discovered that people who ate the green Med diet lost more fat in their liver than those on the regular med diet.<\/strong>
This may reduce their risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease<\/a>, which affects around 25% of people worldwide and can lead to potentially fatal cirrhosis and liver failure.
Finally, the researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the effect of the three diets on loss of brain volume over 18 months.
Brain atrophy in a region called the hippocampus vital for memory formation is an early marker of cognitive decline in aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/a>.
The researchers report<\/a><\/hl-trusted-source> that in subjects 50 years or older, both med diets were associated with significantly reduced shrinkage of the hippocampus.
But the green Med diet appeared to provide the greatest protection against brain atrophy.
Polyphenols can cross the blood-brain barrier, where they help to reduce inflammation and promote the growth of new nerve cells in the hippocampus.<\/strong>
So it makes sense that the green Med diet \u2014 which the researchers say doubles the polyphenol content of the classic Med diet \u2014 was associated with a greater reduction in brain atrophy.
It is important to note that 88% of participants were middle-aged males who all had obesity. The results may therefore not apply to females, younger age groups, or people without obesity.
In addition, the number of people in the studies was relatively small.
The researchers believe that a combination of reduced red and processed meat consumption and increased polyphenol intake is responsible for the health benefits of the green Med diet.
For example, levels of Mankai-derived polyphenols in participants\u2019 urine were significantly associated with reduced shrinkage of the hippocampus.
But eating less red and processed meat was also independently and significantly associated with reduced shrinkage of this region. <\/strong>
Mankai is relatively expensive and not widely available in stores.
MNT<\/em> asked senior author Iris Shai<\/a>, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel, whether other high protein plants may be equally beneficial as meat substitutes.
\u201cMankai was just a test case,\u201d she replied. She said other plant sources of protein would work just as well.
\u201cYou don\u2019t need to get the polyphenols within the same food source as protein,\u201d pointed out Prof. Stampfer.
\u201cFor example, numerous studies show the benefits of berries, which have little protein but lots of phenols,\u201d he said.
However, he said further studies would be needed to evaluate the benefits of different food sources because polyphenols are a large, varied group of compounds.
\u201cAs for protein, you can easily get all the protein you need without eating any meat, or without eating any animal products,\u201d he added.
Nutritionists told MNT<\/em> that several alternatives to Mankai are widely available.
\u201cFor the protein and mineral content as well as a boost of omega-3 fatty acids, ground flax, hemp, and chia are good alternatives to include in the diet,\u201d said Katie Cavuto, MS, RD, a nutritionist and executive chef of Saladworks<\/a>.
\u201cQuinoa is also a complete protein that is rich in polyphenols,\u201d she added.
Unusually for a plant, Mankai also provides <\/strong>vitamin B12<\/strong><\/a>, which is often lacking in vegan diets. But Cavuto said edible algae, such as spirulina, and seaweeds, such as nori, are also good sources of this vitamin. <\/strong>
Dr Donald Hensrud, MD<\/a>, associate professor of nutrition and preventive medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, MN, recommended vegan cereal or plant-based milks fortified with vitamin B12.
\u201cIt is sometimes easiest to take a supplement of vitamin B12,\u201d he told MNT<\/em>.
\u201cVitamin B12 is nontoxic, so taking too much is not an issue,\u201d he added.
There are also alternatives to walnuts as sources of polyphenols, as detailed in the Mayo Clinic Diet plan.
\u201cIf somebody isn\u2019t a fan of walnuts, there are plenty of other options to include polyphenols,\u201d said Prof. Hensrud.
Each type of nut has a different nutrient profile, he pointed out. For example, almonds are relatively high in calcium, and Brazil nuts are high in magnesium.
\u201cTherefore, if you like mixed nuts, they would provide the widest variety of nutrients,\u201d he said.
Plant-based foods have a much smaller impact on the environment, in particular in terms of carbon emissions.
However, not all plant sources are equal. For example, huge quantities of water go into growing almonds and cashews<\/a>, often in areas where water is in short supply.
It is also worth taking into account that almond farmers often use a lot of fertilizers and pesticides<\/a>.
To minimize environmental harm, therefore, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, and peanuts may be better choices.
Avocados, which are popular among vegans and vegetarians, may be among the worst offenders in terms of sustainability. <\/strong>
Most avocados on supermarket shelves originate in Central and South America, so they have a large carbon footprint for customers in Europe, for example.
They are usually grown as a monoculture, which means little or no biodiversity, and require a lot of water.
It takes 320 liters<\/a> of water to grow a single avocado.
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People who eat a traditional Mediterranean diet have lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. But new research suggests that a \u201cgreen\u201d Mediterranean diet \u2014 which avoids all meat and provides extra greens \u2014 may be even better for human health. If the diet catches on, the benefits for planetary health could be equally […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":869,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1412"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1412\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}