The Mediterranean diet has been well studied for its link to stroke prevention, but researchers wonder how the effects may differ between different types of patients. In this study, scientists monitored the eating patterns and health status of 23,232 white Europeans in the UK. After 17 years, those most closely following a Mediterranean diet had a 17% lower risk of stroke. However, the findings seem to be driven primarily by women. Women who most closely followed a Mediterranean diet had a 22% lower risk of stroke, while the trend towards lower risk in men was not statistically significant. Additionally, the findings were stronger in people who had a higher risk of heart disease (due to family history or other factors).
Stroke. 2018 Sept 20. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.117.020258. [Epub ahead of print.] (Paterson KE et al.)

To better understand whole grains’ relationship with heart health, New Zealand’s Heart Foundation analyzed 19 meta analyses encompassing thousands of participants, for their September 2018 report entitled “Whole Grains and the Heart.” The authors conclude that “observational research suggests three [servings] of whole grains per day are associated with heart health benefits, and there are likely to be additional benefits with higher intakes. Intervention studies on risk factors are less compelling but show most consistent evidence of benefits for a small reduction in total and LDL cholesterol, especially in relation to oats and barley, and possibly improved [glycemic] control.”
Heart Foundation. 2018 Sept. (Gorton D et al.)

The Neolithic Period, when communities transitioned from a largely hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a largely agricultural lifestyle, began about 12,000 years ago. Cheese production in the Mediterranean was thought to have begun in the Bronze Age (after the Neolithic Period). However, newly discovered fatty acid residue on pottery from Neolithic sites in Croatia indicates that milk was fermented into cheese much earlier than had been assumed, in the Middle Neolithic period (5200 BCE). The researchers suggest that “dairying and fermentation had additional human life-history dependent advantages by reducing infant mortality,” which “helped stimulate demographic shifts that propelled farming communities to expand and provided the demographic and dietary risk buffering to allow Neolithic farming to spread to colder, temperate climates.”
PLoS One. 2018 Sep 5;13(9):e0202807. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202807. (McClure SB et al.)

Whole grains are healthy carbohydrate foods that may be especially protective against type 2 diabetes. In this study, researchers analyzed the eating habits and health status of 55,465 middle-aged adults in Denmark. Those eating more whole grains were 11% and 7% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes (for men and women, respectively) over the 15-year study period. Rye bread, whole-grain bread, oatmeal, and muesli were all significantly associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes for both men and women, indicating a benefit for whole grains in general, rather than just one specific type of whole grain food.
The Journal of Nutrition. 2018 Sep 1;148(9):1434-1444. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxy112. (Kyrø C et al.)

Scientists are increasingly interested in researching the gut microbiome, the community of bacteria of our digestive tract, as studies suggest that the types of microbes we produce and carry around may impact our risk for chronic disease. In this review, researchers analyzed the existing research on diet and the gut microbiome, focusing on vegetarian diets and Mediterranean diets. Both epidemiological studies and randomized clinical trials demonstrate that healthy Mediterranean and vegetarian diets are linked with various beneficial changes to the gut microbiome (such as increased short chain fatty acid production, increases in Prevotella, and decreases in trimethylamine). They suggest that these healthy diets may lower risk of chronic disease by impacting our gut microbiome, but that more research is needed to identify the exact mechanism.
Journal of Nutrition. 2018 Sep 1;148(9):1402-1407. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxy141. (Tindall AM et al.)

Scientists are beginning to discover that eating choices that are best for people also happen to be best for the planet. Researchers from the European Commission’s Directorate for Sustainable Resources analyzed national food surveys, water footprint databases, and other datasets across the UK, France, and Germany to determine how the water footprint changes when people shift their diet. They found that shifting from the current eating pattern to a healthy eating pattern (that contains meat) cut reduce the water footprint by 11-35%, and that even larger reductions could be made by shifting to a healthy pescatarian (vegetarian with fish) diet (33-35% reduction) or a healthy vegetarian diet (35-55% reduction).
Nature Sustainability. 2018 Sept 1. doi: 10.1038/s41893-018-0133-x. (Vanham D et al.)

The Mediterranean Diet is well known for its links with longevity, but researchers wonder if this protective effect might apply to an elderly population as well. In a study of 5,200 older adults in Italy (ages 65+), researchers found that those most closely following a Mediterranean diet were significantly less likely to die over the 8-year study period. In fact, each 1-point increase in the Mediterranean Diet Score (0-9 point scale) was linked with a 4-7% lower risk of death from all causes over the 8 years.
British Journal of Nutrition. 2018 Aug 30:1-14. doi: 10.1017/S0007114518002179. [Epub ahead of print] (Bonaccio M et al.)

Noodles are a staple of Asian diets, yet many noodles on the market today are made with refined wheat flour, rather than whole grain flour. In this review, scientists share the best practices in making whole wheat Asian noodles (fresh, dried, and instant), and share where more research is needed. With the right techniques, replacing up to 20-72% of the refined white flour with whole wheat flour in Asian noodles can yield a high quality, more healthful product. Products with even higher quantities of whole grain can have even greater health impacts, although their quality may not be directly comparable. Selecting the right wheat variety for the recipe (such as a white whole wheat), milling to a finer particle size, adding complementary ingredients (such as tapioca or soy flour), or using ultrasound treatments to prolong shelf life, are all strategies that can be used to improve whole wheat Asian noodles.
Cereal Chemistry. 2018 Aug 23. doi: 10.1002/cche.10095 (Niu M et al.)

There are countless different diets out there, from low carb to high carb to everything in between. But which eating pattern is linked with longer lives? Scientists are on a mission to find out. Researchers analyzed the eating habits and health outcomes of 15,428 adults in the US, following them for 25 years. The “sweet spot” for the lowest risk of mortality was diets that had 50-55% of their calories from carbohydrates, especially those with lots of plant foods, like whole grain bread, nuts, vegetables, and peanut butter. This amount aligns with traditional diets (such as the Mediterranean diet), as well as the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans. On the other hand, low-carb diets that had lots of meat were linked with higher mortality.
The Lancet Public Health. 2018 Aug 16. pii: S2468-2667(18)30135-X. [Epub ahead of print.] (Seidelmann SB et al.)

Many parents buy gluten-free foods for their kids because they think that those foods are healthier. But unless you have a medically-diagnosed reason to avoid gluten (such as celiac disease), evidence suggests otherwise. Researchers in Canada went to 2 major supermarket chains and purchased all foods marketed to kids (with the exception of candy, soda, and a few other “junk foods”) – 374 products total. They then analyzed the nutrition labels of the foods, to see how products marketed as gluten free stacked up to those not marketed as gluten free. For a more direct comparison, they then identified 43 gluten-free foods marketed to kids that had a non-gluten-free counterpart, and compared nutrition between the matched products. Overall, nutrition was poor among all kids’ products, gluten-free or not, and there were few significant differences. Specifically, products marketed as gluten-free had slightly lower levels of sodium, but slightly higher levels of added sugar. Additionally, a higher proportion of gluten-free products had high levels of trans fat. The researchers concluded that “[gluten-free] supermarket foods that are targeted at children are not nutritionally superior to regular child targeted foods and may be of greater potential concern because of their sugar content,” adding that “parents who substitute [gluten-free] products for their product equivalents (assuming [gluten-free] products to be healthier) are mistaken.”
Pediatrics. 2018 Aug;142(2). pii: e20180525. (Elliott C et al.)

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in older adults. Because there is no cure or treatment, prevention is especially important. Scientists analyzed the eye health and eating habits of nearly 5,000 older adults in the Netherlands and France for up to 21 years. Those most closely following a Mediterranean diet were 41% less likely to have incident advanced AMD.
Ophthalmology. 2018 Aug 13. pii: S0161-6420(18)30721-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2018.08.006. [Epub ahead of print] (Merle BMJ et al.)

The positive effects of the Mediterranean Diet are well-known, but more research is needed on the effects of the diet in people with type 2 diabetes. In this study, researchers looked at the diets of over 2,000 people with type 2 diabetes. Those who more closely followed the Mediterranean Diet had lower BMIs, blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides), blood pressure, inflammation, and better blood sugar control than those who did not. Researchers also found that each part of the Mediterranean Diet provided different benefits- eating more fish was associated with lower triglycerides while eating more vegetables was associated with better blood pressure. In other words, the overall Mediterranean Diet pattern is greater than the sum of its parts, and following the Mediterranean Diet may offer big benefits to people with type 2 diabetes.
Nutrients. 2018 Aug 10;10(8). pii: E1067. doi: 10.3390/nu10081067. (Vitale M et al.)