The Mediterranean diet in Australia

reference

Davis Cr, Hodgson JM, Woodman R, Bryan J, Wilson C, Murphy KJ. A Mediterranean diet lowers blood pressure and improves the endothelial function: Results of the randomized intervention study by Medley. am j clin nutr . 2017; 105 (6): 1305-1313.

draft

Medley was a 6-month, randomized, controlled parallel group intervention study with 2 cohorts; The participants were assessed at the beginning of the course after 3 months and after 6 months.

participant

SEVERSION SEXTIVE HEALTHES AUTOMRALICH MEN and WOMES at the age of 65 and with normal cognitive functions and English skills, recruited from the metropolis of Adelaide, South Australia

medication and dosage study

The participants, which the experimental group randomly allocated, had to maintain an intervention diet on the basis of the traditional Cretan medium (i.e. vegetables, fruit, olive oil, legumes, fish, whole grain cereals, nuts and seeds with little consumption processed food). Dairy products, red meat and vegetable oils) for 6 months. Those who were assigned to the control group were asked to maintain their usual lifestyle and diet.

target parameter

Data from these cohorts have influenced several recent publications in which the effects of the Mediterranean diet on the cognitive function, F2 Isoprostan and triglycerides were rated. This current study used blood pressure measurements that were carried out on 5 consecutive days at the beginning of the course, 3 months and 6 months. The endothelial function was assessed by river -mediated dilatation (FMD) at the beginning of the course and after 6 months. Compliance with the Mediterranean diet was monitored by 3-day nutritional records.

important knowledge

The participants of the Mediterranean nutrition group had a significantly lower systolic blood pressure (mean: -1.3 mm Hg [95% CI: −2.2, −0.3 mm HG; p = 0.008]) after 3 months (mean value: −1.1 mm Hg [95% CI: −0.1 mm HG; p = 0.03]) and an FMD (95 % KI: 0.2 %, 2.4 %; p = 0.026) after 6 months compared to the initial value. These results show a significant improvement in the endothelial function and a small but significant reduction in systolic blood pressure in the group with a Mediterranean diet.

practice implications

Although we know that a stronger compliance with a Mediterranean diet offers health benefits, we have to add the addition: The majority of the data that supports these claims comes from studies that have been carried out on cohorts of participants who live in the Mediterranean region. The question that the researchers now deal with is whether these advantages could be transferred to other parts of the world, in this case Australia.

This current paper from the Karen Murphy team belongs to a series that comes from the Medley Collaborate, which was recruited from the metropolis of Adelaide, South Australia. The initial focus of the study was on the determination of whether a greater compliance with the Mediterranean diet would either be associated with improved cognitive function or greater psychological well -being. ^{1 Previous prospective studies report that a higher compliance with a MEDITORNAN diet is associated with improvements in a number of cognitive results in healthy older adults, including a slower global Cognitive decline, 2-4 higher episodic memory and global cognitive performance, 5.6 and higher verbal memory performance. 7 The results of this first analysis were published in September 2016; Unfortunately, they did not show that active nutritional intervention had a significant influence on cognitive function or mental health.}

Normal Australian nutrition can be too inflammatory and too prooxidative. It can take longer than 6 months to remove lifelong brain damage.

On the other hand, this current study and a second study published by the same authors indicate that the intervention will have an impact on cardiovascular diseases (CVD). As already mentioned, the Mediterranean diet seems to have a small but significant influence on blood pressure and endothelial function. The July paper reported on a reduction in F2 isoprostan and triglycerides, both effects that should be associated with a lower CVD risk. 9

It is unclear why dietary intervention in the earlier study had no influence on cognitive parameters. Admittedly, there is no clear mechanistic explanation for why a Mediterranean diet improves cognitive function. It was believed that this nutritional pattern provides certain nutrients (ie vitamins E, B6, B12, folic acid, simply unsaturated fatty acids, fish, carotenoids, flavonoids, antioxidants and polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids), the shooters can against cognitive Decay. 10 It was assumed that the combination of the various grocery elements found in this diet would have a kind of synergistic or at least additive effect on the brain and that the effects could not be attributed to a single food.

These results question this assumption. Perhaps there is an important chemical component in the Mediterranean olive oil that is not available in Australian iteration? Perhaps it is not the general pattern, but large amounts of specific foods that were proposed in the predimed studies that provided the participants with extra native olive oil (EVOO) or nuts? It is also possible that the Mediterranean diet is good for health, but the western standard diet is so harmful that the participants who followed this experimental diet simply avoid the harmful aspects of their normal nutrition. see. 13 It can take longer than 6 months to eliminate lifelong brain damage. The Medley study does not provide any information on the actual average consumption of weight or portions of certain foods. Perhaps a minimum amount of EVOO or nuts is required to achieve a significant effect? ​​

A recently published (August 2017) study reports on cognitive advantages of a Mediterranean diet in a Greek cohort of 1,865 older adults. The analysis of data from the Hellenic Longitudinal Investigation of Aging and Diet (Heliad) showed that for every increase in the Mediterranean nutritional scores (MedDietScore) by 10 % decreased.

In the end, we have to rely on terms such as "multifactorial factors" to explain the contradictory results. If one compares the previous findings from the Medley cohort with knowledge from previous studies, the question arises: does the Mediterranean diet offer people in Australia less protection than people in other parts of the world?

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Is there anything unique in life in Australia?