Can healthy eating habits rub off on family members who aren’t actively trying to eat better? New research seems to suggest so. In this study, scientists analyzed the diet, weight, and exercise habits of 148 untreated family members of people participating in the PREDIMED-Plus study, a Mediterranean diet weight loss intervention. After two years, the untreated family members lost nearly 9 pounds and scored significantly better on the Mediterranean diet score, indicating a “halo effect” of their family members’ participation in the study. There were no significant changes to the exercise habits of the untreated family members.
International Journal of Obesity. 2021 Jun;45(6):1240-1248. doi: 10.1038/s41366-021-00763-z. Epub 2021 Mar 3. (Zomeño MD et al.)

While mask wearing, social distancing, and approved vaccines are thus far the only proven strategies to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19, research suggests that people with diet-related chronic diseases tend to be at higher risk of having more serious complications if and when they do get COVID-19. In this study of healthcare workers from 7 countries on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic (conducted in the summer of 2020, before vaccines became available), those who contracted COVID-19 and reported following a “plant-based diet” or a “plant-based or pescatarian diet” had a 73% and 59% lower risk of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 versus people who did not follow these diets. However, there was no relationship between diet and likelihood of contracting COVID-19.
BMJ Nutrition, Prevention, & Health. 2021 Jun 7;4(1):257-266. doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2021-000272. eCollection 2021. (Kim H et al.)

Currently, Australian adults are only eating about 21 grams of whole grain per day. In this study, researchers quantified the savings in healthcare and reduction of lost productivity costs associated with a reduction in type 2 diabetes and heart disease through meeting the 48 grams per day whole grain recommendation. If 100% of the Australian adult population were to meet this whole grain goal, researchers estimate a savings of up to 750.7 million Australian dollars (AUD) in healthcare and lost productivity costs for type 2 diabetes, and an additional 717.4 million AUD in healthcare and lost productivity costs for heart disease, totaling more than a 1.4 billion AUD savings. On the low end, even if only 5% or 15% of Australian adults meet the 48 grams per day whole grain goal, there would still be an estimated savings total of 73.4 million AUD to 220.2 million AUD, respectively in healthcare and lost productivity costs related to both conditions.
Nutrients. 2021 May 29;13(6):1855. doi: 10.3390/nu13061855. (Abdullah MMH et al.)

The Mediterranean diet is well-known for its brain benefits, so scientists wonder how Mediterranean-inspired eating might relate to multiple sclerosis (MS), a brain and spinal cord autoimmune disease. Researchers analyzed the eating habits and brain structures of 180 adults who have had a diagnosis of MS for less than 5 years to see how closely they adhered to a version of the Mediterranean diet called the MIND diet. The MIND diet is a hybrid Mediterranean-DASH diet that emphasizes foods associated with brain health, including whole grains, green leafy vegetables, berries, nuts, olive oil, and fish. In this study, people most closely following the MIND diet had significantly greater thalamic volumes. (The wasting away of the thalamus is a marker of MS disease progression and neurodegeneration, so greater thalamic volume is a good sign that MS might be advancing slower.) Additionally, when looking at specific foods and nutrients, those eating the most full-fat dairy had fewer brain lesions (as measured by lower volumes of T2 lesions) and those eating the most omega-3’s from fish had better microstructural integrity of their normal appearing white matter.
Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. 2021 May 19;53:103031. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2021.103031. (Katz Sand IB et al.)

One of the most striking differences between Mediterranean seafood dishes and American seafood dishes is the Mediterranean’s creative use of little fish, like sardines. Researchers randomly assigned 152 older adults (average age: 71) with prediabetes to either a control group with diabetes prevention nutrition advice or an intervention group receiving 7 ounces of sardines per week in addition to diabetes prevention nutrition advice for one year. At the end of the year, both groups lost weight and reduced their waist and hip sizes. Those in the sardine group also improved their blood pressure, blood lipids (such as HDL cholesterol), and insulin resistance (a sign of better blood sugar management). However, there was no significant difference in type 2 diabetes risk between the two groups.
Clinical Nutrition. 2021 May;40(5):2587-2598. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2021.03.014. (Díaz-Rizzolo DA et al.)

The Mediterranean diet has long been studied for its link with brain health, and now researchers are starting to understand the mechanisms behind this protective relationship. In a study of 512 older adults (average age 69) who were a mixture of people both with and without a family history of Alzheimer’s, researchers found that more closely following a Mediterranean diet was linked with significantly better memory, larger gray matter volume in the area of the brain related to memory (mediotemporal), and less pTau181 (a predictor of Alzheimer’s progression) and amyloid pathology (misfolded proteins in the brain which are associated with Alzheimer’s progression).
Neurology. 2021 May 5;10.1212/WNL.0000000000012067. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000012067.(Ballarini T et al.)

Misguided dieters may avoid gluten for fear of “grain brain,” and yet research suggests that these fears are unfounded. In a study of 13,494 women without celiac disease, there was absolutely no relationship between gluten and cognitive function. The authors confirm that “restricting dietary gluten for the purpose of maintaining or improving cognition is not warranted in the absence of celiac disease or established gluten sensitivity.”
JAMA Network Open. 2021 May 3;4(5):e2113020. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.13020. (Wang Y et al.)

Researchers studied the healthfulness of foods from different sources (schools, grocery stores, restaurants) in a group of 20,905 children and 39,757 adults in the period from 2003-2004 to 2017-2018. During this time, the proportion of children eating food of poor diet quality from schools decreased by more than half, from 56% to 24%. Most of these improvements occurred after 2010, in line with the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (which updated school nutrition standards) and were associated with kids eating more whole grains and less saturated fat, sugary drinks, and salt at schools. Additionally, the proportion of people eating food of poor diet quality from grocery stores decreased from 53% to 45% in kids and from 40% to 33% in adults, largely due to eating more whole grains and fewer sugary drinks. Food from restaurants tended to be less healthy, with very small improvements in diet quality over the study period. The researchers also found that school food improvements after 2010 were the most equitable improvements, as nutrition improved more evenly across racial and sociodemographic lines. On the other hand, most of the improvements in nutrition from grocery store or restaurant foods tended to be concentrated in high-income households.
JAMA Network Open. 2021 Apr 1;4(4):e215262. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.5262. (Liu J et al.)

Childhood obesity is a rising public health concern and a strong predictor of obesity later in life. Previous studies have discovered that mothers’ diets during pregnancy can potentially impact children’s weight and their risks of developing obesity. This study evaluated how mothers’ dietary patterns during pregnancy affect their children’s BMI (body mass index). A total of 1,459 women participated in the study and completed a questionnaire about the food they ate during pregnancy. Their children were followed up for 15 years to measure their weight and height change. The findings showed that children whose mothers had closely followed the Mediterranean diet during pregnancy are more likely to grow faster and have lower BMI than their peers during childhood. However, the researchers cautioned that differences in breastfeeding might partly explain the BMI differences across the groups. Thus, more studies are needed.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2021 Mar 15;nqaa398. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa398. (Monthé-Drèze C et al.)

Many patients diagnosed with prostate cancer don’t need immediate intervention, so strictly monitoring the disease progression is critical. This study collected data from 410 men diagnosed with prostate cancer and measured how closely they were following the Mediterranean Diet. After 36 months of follow-up, those most closely following a Mediterranean diet were less likely to have significant disease progression, and were more likely to have a better rate of survival.
Cancer. 2021 Mar 1; 127(5):720-728. doi:10.1002/cncr.33182. (Gregg JR et al.)

Dementia is an age-related disease causing memory loss and confusion, and over 50 million people suffer from dementia globally. Because there is currently no effective treatment for it, prevention is pivotal. To investigate whether the Mediterranean Diet has a protective effect on dementia, the researchers studied 16,160 middle-aged adults and followed them for over 20 years. Among all the participants, 459 were diagnosed with dementia. When comparing the dietary patterns between those with and without dementia, the researchers found that those most closely following the  Mediterranean diet,  were 20% less likely to develop dementia. However, the results were not statistically significant when looking at Alzheimer’s dementia.
Nutrients. 2021 Feb 22;13(2):700. doi: 10.3390/nu13020700. (Andreu-Reinon ME et al.)

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element found in varying degrees in all soils and water, meaning that some foods, like rice, naturally contain low levels of arsenic depending on where and how it’s grown. Luckily, certain cooking and processing methods can dramatically decrease the level of arsenic rice. In this study, researchers found that parboiling your brown rice can remove up to 54% of unwanted heavy metals like arsenic from your rice (outperforming soaking or rinsing), and can also preserve important micronutrients such as zinc. You can achieve this at home by boiling your rice for 5 minutes and setting it aside for when you’re ready to cook it. You can also buy parboiled rice at the store.  
The Science of the Total Environment. 2021 Feb 10;755(Pt 2):143341. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143341.(Menon M et al.)