{"id":54509,"date":"2018-06-15T00:47:48","date_gmt":"2018-06-15T00:47:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefastfashion.com\/?p=54509"},"modified":"2018-06-15T00:47:48","modified_gmt":"2018-06-15T00:47:48","slug":"mediterranean-diet-called-question-experts-say-still-worthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefastfashion.com\/?p=54509","title":{"rendered":"The Mediterranean diet has been called into question, but experts say it’s still worthy"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2013, a landmark study was published in The New England Journal of Medicine<\/em> that made very impressive claims about the Mediterranean diet. Among them: About 30 percent of heart attacks, strokes, and death from heart disease could be prevented in high-risk people if they started following the diet, which is big on olive oil, nuts, beans, fish, and fruits and vegetables. Drinking wine is part of the eating plan too, and the diet earned a solid following, including among celebrities like Pen\u00e9lope Cruz, Brooke Burke, and Rachael Ray.<\/p>\n

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Now, that study has been called into question due to several factors, like concerns that the randomized trial wasn\u2019t as randomized as it should have been (some people, for example, were asked to follow the diet and then their family members were lumped in with them as if they had been randomly chosen, as well). As a result, the researchers behind the original study retracted their original paper on Wednesday and issued a \u201creanalysis\u201d of their data, also published in The New England Journal of Medicine. <\/em>So what\u2019s a layperson to believe?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing: The conclusions of the reanalysis are basically the same.<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, the researchers in the study now say that people on the diet had fewer heart attacks and strokes \u2014 not that the diet was the reason for that.<\/p>\n

Reactions on social media have been mixed: Some people are applauding the study\u2019s researchers for having the guts to do something that\u2019s very rare in the medical community, whereas others are wondering if the Mediterranean diet is still worth it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to point out one major fact: The study may have been flawed, but the data wasn\u2019t.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe issues they had with the study don\u2019t deflect the consistent findings of the benefits of the Mediterranean diet,\u201d Beth Warren, founder of Beth Warren Nutrition and author of Secrets of a Kosher Girl<\/em>,<\/em> tells Yahoo Lifestyle. \u201cThere are limitations with diet studies in general, and the ones they had seemed more along the common issues than something inherently flawed in the entire study.\u201d <\/p>\n

Researchers still found that the Mediterranean diet has heart-healthy benefits and that it can still reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack, and death from heart disease. \u201cThat\u2019s saying something,\u201d Jessica Cording, a New York registered dietitian, tells Yahoo Lifestyle.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to note that this isn\u2019t the only research conducted about the Mediterranean diet. The diet has been extensively  studied by different researchers from different angles, and all have come to the same conclusion: This is a beneficial diet worth following, health expert Jennifer Wider, MD, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. \u201cIt\u2019s also hard to argue with statistics that show people living in the Mediterranean region have lower rates of heart attack and stroke.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are a few major, proven benefits from the Mediterranean diet that are worth noting:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s heart healthy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The diet calls for limiting red meat and foods high in saturated fat in favor of lean meats and fish. \u201cThat has been proven to lower your risk of high cholesterol and subsequent heart disease,\u201d Wider says. Not only that, the diet also encourages followers to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, both of which have been linked to good heart health, Cording points out.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s good for maintaining a healthy weight.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The diet is high in fiber, which is helpful for satiety, Cording says. It also includes healthy fats from foods like olive oil and nuts, which can also help you feel fuller longer.<\/p>\n

Adv<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n