Mediterranean diet has been acclaimed for its health benefits. Let's find out why it is so popular and what benefits you can get from it.

Reduces risk of heart disease

The Mediterranean diet may help you by reducing your risk for heart disease. According to a randomised clinical trial, where the author followed 7000 women and men in is pain who had type 2 diabetes or high risk for cardiovascular disease to see the benefit of this that. It was found that people who followed Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil or nuts had a 30% lower risk of heart problems.

Reduced risk of stroke

The Mediterranean diet may reduce women's risk of stroke. When you eat a Mediterranean diet, it can reduce the possibility of cardiovascular disease. The scientific study was done among a group of 23,233 men and women ages 40 to 77 in the UK. It found that if a woman followed a Mediterranean diet it reduced higher risk of having a stroke. However, the same results were not seen in case of men. It found that the women reduced the possibility of a stroke by 20%.

Prevention of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease

The Mediterranean diet may help in preventing cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. Since it is a heart healthy diet, it definitely helps the heart but it can also help in preventing decline in your memory and thinking skills with age. You need to supply your brain with the necessary nutrients and oxygen and to do that, you need to have a rich blood supply. If you have any problem with your vascular health or your blood vessels, you are at an increased risk for developing problems with your brain. That is why cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease often happen in case of elderly people. A scientific study found that there was an encouraging evidence that following a Mediterranean diet can improve cognition, slow cognitive decline or reduce the convergent to Alzheimer's disease.

Another scientific study where a brain scans for 70 people found is no signs of dementia and those people closely followed the Mediterranean diet pattern.

Weight loss and weight maintenance

The Mediterranean diet can also help you to lose weight and maintain it. You will be able to lose weight in a safe and sustainable way with this diet. Over a long period such as five year, eating a calorie restricted Mediterranean diet that is high in unsaturated vegetable fat resulted in a slightly more weight loss and reduction in waist circumferences. It was found that people who added extra virgin olive oil to their diets lost the most weights. If you add calorie restriction to the lot, the Mediterranean diet may show more dramatic results.

Prevent and manage type 2 diabetes

The Mediterranean diet can help you to prevent type 2 diabetes and may also help you to manage it if you already have it. In a randomised research of 418 people ages 55 to 80 without diabetes, who were followed up with after four years, it was found that people who follow the Mediterranean diet had a 52% lower risk for type 2 diabetes during the four-year follow-up. They had a lower risk even though they did not necessarily lose weight or exercise more.

References 1. Mediterranean Diet
2. Mediterranean diet
3. Mediterranean Diet and Prevention of Chronic Diseases