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No Need to Avoid Pasta on Weight Loss Diets

Pasta is low-glycemic index food, meaning that it has a gentler impact on blood sugar than many other carbohydrate foods. However, many people are confused about how pasta fits into a healthy diet. In this review, researchers analyzed 38 studies to better understand how pasta intake relates to body weight. Some studies found no relationship between eating pasta and body weight, while other studies found that eating pasta was related to a lower risk of overweight and obesity. Overall, the evidence suggests that pasta does not cause weight gain, especially when pasta is eaten in the context of an overall healthy diet.
Nutrients. 2023 Jun 9;15(12):2689. doi: 10.3390/nu15122689. (Sanders LM et al.)

Following a Mediterranean Diet May Have “Halo Effect” on Other Family Members

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.)

Maternal Mediterranean Diet May Relate to Children’s Weight Later in Life

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.)

Mediterranean Diet Linked with Less Body Fat, Better Blood Sugar Control

Maintaining a healthy weight and healthy blood sugar control are thought to help prevent chronic diseases down the road. In a study of 142 adults, people who most closely followed a Mediterranean diet were more likely to have less body fat, better fasting blood sugar, lower insulin, and lower triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood). Other measured health differences between those who followed the Mediterranean diet and those who didn’t were not statistically significant.
Postgrad Medical Journal. 2020 Nov 12;postgradmedj-2020-138667. doi: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-138667. (Kalkuz S et al.)

Mediterranean Diet Improves Quality of Life, BMI in Patients with IBD

The Mediterranean diet is well known for its anti-inflammatory properties, so it stands to reason that the Mediterranean diet may be helpful in the management of inflammatory bowel diseases. In a study of 284 Italian adults with inflammatory bowel diseases (including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) who were assigned to a Mediterranean diet for 6 months, eating a Mediterranean diet improved their quality of life, BMI, and waist circumference and reduced signs of fat in the liver, but did not significantly impact their cholesterol or liver function.
Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2020 May 22;izaa097. doi: 10.1093/ibd/izaa097. Online ahead of print. (Chicco F et al.)

Mediterranean Diets Show Blood Pressure Reduction after 1 Year, While Benefits of Other Popular Diets Largely Fade Over Time

Diets can be difficult to stick to over extended periods of time, and the health benefits aren’t always long lasting. In this study, researchers analyzed 121 studies encompassing 21,942 people looking at the impacts of 14 popular diets (Mediterranean diet, low carb diet, low fat diet, etc.) after 6 months and 12 months. After 6 months, most of the diets resulted in a modest weight loss as well as improvements in blood pressure and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. However, after 12 months, weight loss had diminished, and only those on a Mediterranean diet continued to see lower blood pressure.
BMJ. 2020 Apr 1;369:m696. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m696. (Ge L et al.)

High Fat Mediterranean Diet Good for Weight Loss and Waistline

Although it is still widely feared that high fat diets could lead to weight gain, high fat Mediterranean style diets are actually a helpful tool for weight loss. Using data from the republished PREDIMED study (where adults at risk of heart disease were randomly assigned to a low fat diet, a Mediterranean diet with nuts, or a Mediterranean diet with olive oil for nearly 5 years), scientists analyzed the waist circumference and weight of the participants at baseline and again at the end of the study. While all 3,985 participants with follow up data increased their waist size slightly with aging – even as they lost weight – the Mediterranean diet groups had significantly smaller increases in their waistline compared to the low fat control group. Similarly, the Mediterranean diet with olive oil group lost significantly more weight than the low fat group, at nearly 1 pound more, but the greater weight loss seen in the nut group was not statistically significant. The scientists conclude that “the fear of weight gain from high-fat foods need no longer be an obstacle to adherence to a dietary pattern such as the Mediterranean diet,” and that these results “lend support to not restricting intake of healthy fats in advice for bodyweight maintenance and overall cardiometabolic health.”
The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology. 2019 May. [Epub ahead of print] (Estruch R et al.)

Mediterranean Diet Linked with Improvements in Cardiodiabesity

“Cardiodiabesity” is an umbrella term which refers to the relationship between obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. Researchers analyzed over 50 studies to answer several key questions about the impact of the Mediterranean diet on cardiodiabesity. The researchers found strong evidence that following the Mediterranean diet reduces obesity, blood pressure, and the risk of cardiovascular disease in healthy and at-risk people. They also found moderate evidence that the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of developing metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, and can reduce the symptoms of type 2 diabetes in diabetics.
Nutrients. 2019 Mar 18;11(3). pii: E655. doi: 10.3390/nu11030655. (Franquesa M. et al)

Mediterranean Diet Has Long History of Health Benefits

Mediterranean diet first rose to prominence in the 1950’s and since that time has become one of the most-studied diets in the world. In this study, researchers summarize the Mediterranean diet’s scientific history and key takeaways, including its benefits for weight loss and the prevention of heart disease and type II diabetes. The Mediterranean diet has also been linked with the possible prevention of certain types of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The authors note that the erosion of tradition threatens the Mediterranean diet in its place of birth, and that more populations could benefit from adopting a more Mediterranean inspired diet.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019 Mar 15;16(6). pii:E942. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16060942. (Lăcătușu C-M et al.)

Mediterranean Diet Linked with Lower Rates of Obesity; More Research Needed on Korean Diets and Obesity

The Mediterranean diet is a well-studied cultural model of healthy eating, but less is known about other dietary patterns around the world. In this article, researchers analyzed the relationship between obesity and traditional Mediterranean and Korean diets. The researchers found considerable evidence on the Mediterranean diet’s protective effect against obesity. However, there was no significant association between a traditional Korean diet (a higher carb, lower fat diet with rice, vegetables, fish, and moderate amounts of meat, as well as fermented foods) and obesity. The researchers note that more research is needed on traditional Korean diets and their impacts on health, and that the research could be improved with a standard way of measuring and defining Korean diets. The researchers also noted that many of the Korean diets included in this analysis had higher levels of sodium, and lower levels of fruit and dairy, suggesting that healthier alternatives to some Korean dietary patterns may have a more beneficial impact on health.
Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome. 2019 Mar;28(1):30-39. doi: 10.7570/jomes.2019.28.1.30. (Choi E et al.)

Low GI Diets with Pasta Can Help Lower Weight, BMI

When pasta dough is extruded through dies during processing, it compacts the starch structure. This is why pasta is a low Glycemic Index (GI) food with a gentler impact on blood sugar. In this study, researchers analyzed the results of 32 randomized controlled trials on the impact of low GI diets with pasta. They found that people eating pasta in the context of a low GI diet can lose weight and improve their BMI. However, there was no noted difference in abdominal fat, waist size, or waist-to-hip ratio after eating low GI diets with pasta.
BMJ Open. 2018 Apr 2;8(3):e019438. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-019438. (Chiavaroli L et al.)

Low GI Pasta Meals Can Lead to Weight Loss

Keep the pasta, lose the pounds! Pasta is a low Glycemic Index food, meaning that it doesn’t spike your blood sugar. To see how low glycemic diets with pasta relate to weight, researchers analyzed 32 randomized clinical trial comparisons involving 2,448 adults (who were mostly middle aged and overweight or obese). Compared with high Glycemic Index diets, the low Glycemic Index diets with pasta (about three ½ cup servings per week) were linked with modest weight loss (0.63 kg, or 1.4 pounds), even without cutting calories.
BMJ. 2018 April 4;8(3):1-13. (Chiavaroli L et al.)

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