Mediterranean diet could help diabetes sufferers

Sticking to a diet typical of what is eaten in the Mediterranean, which includes fruit, vegetables, fibre and healthier fats, could protect against type two diabetes, a study suggests.

The study followed 12,000 Spanish men and women for more than four years. The group’s average age was 38, but some were as young as 20 and others as old as 90.

“The idea that it could reduce the risk of diabetes is logical – olive oil is already known to improve blood sugar control and lower blood pressure.”

At the start all were healthy with no signs of diabetes.

The study’s results suggested a 83% lower risk of developing diabetes for those who followed the diet.

Plus the more closely a person stuck to a Mediterranean diet, the lower their risk of diabetes.

The traditional Mediterranean lifestyle involves not only regular exercise, but also plenty of fish, fruit and vegetables, usually cooked in olive oil, and washed down with the occasional glass of red wine.

Studies have suggested that modern diets based on this ideal could improve heart health.

The idea that it could reduce the risk of diabetes is logical – olive oil is already known to improve blood sugar control and lower blood pressure.

A spokesman for the British Nutrition Foundation said that different elements of the diet could be making a difference.

“Although these kinds of study don’t allow us to pinpoint exactly which part or parts of the diet are having the beneficial effect, the fact that the Mediterranean diet is high in fruit and vegetables, fibre and unsaturated fat and low in saturated fat could all help to reduce the risk of diabetes.

However, the young age of the participants in the study, and the fact they were all university graduates, meant they were already a low-risk group for diabetes.

The authors of the research said some may not have admitted they had been diagnosed with the disease.

More than 2 million people in the UK suffer from diabetes.

Diabetes UK’s Dr Iain Frame said: “More robust research is needed before we can draw any firm conclusions about this claim.”