A new study found that older folks who ate less and followed a Mediterranean-style diet, while doing just a bit of exercise each week, built up muscle and shed a good amount of body fat over a year. They managed to keep most of it off for three years.
Dr. David Katz, a specialist in preventing health issues through lifestyle, mentioned that this study shows that a controlled Mediterranean diet along with exercise doesn’t just lead to weight loss. It actually changes the way your body is made up, shifting from fat to muscle.
The study also revealed that besides losing general body fat, the participants also got rid of harmful belly fat, which can cause diabetes, heart problems, and strokes.
Dr. David Katz, who leads a group focused on healthy living, mentioned that while the results of this study aren’t surprising, they show that diet and exercise do more than just help with weight loss. They also target the harmful fat deep inside, called visceral fat.
Visceral fat is hidden and surrounds organs in your belly. Having about 10% of this fat is normal and okay. But too much can lead to inflammation and ongoing health problems.
Another expert, Dr. Walter Willett, stated that this study proves we can greatly improve our metabolism. He believes we should now give people the support and tools they need to make these positive changes, which will benefit both individuals and society.
Part of a longer study
This study is part of a big research project in Spain that lasted eight years. In this project, 23 different research centers looked into how eating and moving can lower the chances of heart problems in people aged 55 to 75. All 6,874 people in this project were carrying extra weight and had a condition called metabolic syndrome, which means they had issues like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, strange cholesterol levels, and too much fat around their waist.
The new study, which was released on a Wednesday in the journal JAMA Network Open, looked at results from one and three years in a smaller group of 1,521 people. They had special scans to find out how much of that deep belly fat they had.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/18/health/mediterranean-diet-exercise-study-wellness/index.html
Half of the people in the study were told to follow a Mediterranean diet with fewer calories. They were asked to avoid certain foods like sugary treats, white bread, butter, and processed meats. They also got regular guidance from diet experts and were taught how to set and track their goals.
This same group was also encouraged to increase their aerobic exercise gradually. This included walking for at least 45 minutes each day and doing activities to improve strength, flexibility, and balance. These things are important for staying healthy as you get older.
Dr. Katz, who led some of the published research on using food to prevent health problems, explained that when you eat fewer calories, you might lose both muscle and fat. But if you also exercise, especially with resistance training to build muscle, it helps protect your muscle while losing fat. The goal is usually to lose fat but keep your muscle.
The other group of participants got basic advice in group meetings just twice a year. They were the group that the researchers used to compare the results.
One expert, Gunter Kuhnle, felt it would have been more helpful if the control group also got more support, even if it was just general advice. He mentioned that motivation and following instructions is really important in studies that look at changing behavior, and the way this study was set up favored the group that got extra help.
Modest, but significant findings
After one year, the group that followed the lower-calorie Mediterranean diet and exercised lost a bit more body fat compared to the other group that didn’t get as much guidance. But in the next two years, they gained some of it back because they didn’t have the same advice and support. The group that didn’t get as much guidance had a small but steady loss of body fat over the three years.
The study found that only the group that followed the diet and exercise plan reduced the amount of deep belly fat. The other group didn’t see a change in this kind of fat.
Both groups did gain some muscle, but the diet and exercise group had a better balance of losing fat rather than muscle, which is a healthier outcome, the authors explained.
Dr. Christopher Gardner, a researcher at Stanford Prevention Research Center, was amazed by the three-year follow-up. He mentioned that it’s rare to have studies that go on for more than a year. While the differences in the three-year results were not huge, they were still significant. He also noted that over six years, the effects might become less noticeable, but three years is still impressive.
Mediterranean diet
Studies have found the award-winning Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk for diabetes, high cholesterol, dementia, memory loss, depression and breast cancer. The diet, which is more of an eating style than a restricted diet, has also been linked to stronger bones, a healthier heart and longer life.
The diet features simple, plant-based cooking, with the majority of each meal focused on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and seeds, with a few nuts and a heavy emphasis on extra-virgin olive oil. Fats other than olive oil, such as butter, are consumed rarely, if at all, and sugar and refined foods are reserved for special occasions.
Red meat is used sparingly, usually only to flavor a dish. Eating healthy, oily fish, which are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, is encouraged, while eggs, dairy and poultry are eaten in much smaller portions than in the traditional Western diet.
Social interactions during meals and exercise are basic cornerstones of the Mediterranean style of eating. Lifestyle changes that are part of the diet include eating with friends and family, socializing over meals, mindfully eating favorite foods, as well as mindful movement and exercise.
SOURCE:CNN