Multivariate models for the evaluation of the associations between the nutritional components of the green-MED diet with changes in %VAT adjusted for age and sex. Mankai consumption was adjusted for age and referred only to the green-MED group. Mankai consumption categories (18 months): low/no: ≤ 1/week, medium: 2–3/week and high: > 3/week; Nut consumption categories (18 months): low/no: 0 to 1–3 times/month, medium: 1–2/week to 3–4/week, and high: more than 5–6/week; Serum folate tertiles (18-month change in serum folate, ng/dL): bottom ≤ -0.41, middle – 0.40 to 1.46, and top ≥ 1.47; fiber intake tertiles (18-month range, g): bottom ≤ − 6.73, middle − 6.72 to − 0.17, and top ≥ − 0.16; tertiles of plasmatic polyphenols (18 months, mg/L): lower ≤ 0.23, medium 0.24 to 0.47 and upper ≥ 0.48; specific polyphenols (urine and plasma) and change in VAT at 18 months of intervention adjusted for age and sex: urine urolithin-A delta 18 months compared to baseline tertiles (log2): T1 ≤ 0, T2 = 0 to 4.92 and T3 = 4.92+. r = − 0.241, p q = 0.00036 (MC -139 metabolites). Plasma hippuric acid tertiles (time18, mg/L): T1 ≤ 0.21, T2 = 0.21 to 0.44 and T3 = 0.44+. *Significant differences between groups at the 0.05 level. VAT, visceral adipose tissue. Credit: BMC Medicine (2022). DOI: 10.1186/s12916-022-02525-8
Following the green Mediterranean diet significantly reduces visceral adipose tissue, a type of fat around internal organs that is much more dangerous than fat. “tired” extra around the waist. Researchers recently compared the green Mediterranean diet with the traditional Mediterranean diet and a healthy non-Mediterranean diet in a large-scale intervention clinical trial: DIRECT PLUS. A subsequent analysis found that the green Mediterranean diet reduced visceral fat by 14%, the Mediterranean diet by 7%, and the healthy non-Mediterranean diet by 4.5%. The study was published in BMC Medicine.
reducing visceral fat it is considered the true goal of weight loss, as it is a more important indicator than a person’s weight or waist circumference. Visceral fat accumulates over time between the organs and produces hormones and poisons linked to heart disease, diabetes, dementia and premature death.
The research was led by Professor Iris Shai of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, also an Adjunct Professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and Honorary Professor at the University of Leipzig, Germany, along with her PhD student, the Dr. Hila Zelicha and Italian, German and American colleagues.
The DIRECT-PLUS trial research team was the first to introduce the concept of a green Mediterranean diet. This modified Mediterranean diet is further enriched with dietary polyphenols and is lower in red/processed meat than the traditional Mediterranean diet. In addition to a daily intake of walnuts (28 grams), the participants consumed 3-4 cups of green tea per day and 100 grams (frozen cubes) of green duckweed smoothie per day. Duckweed from the aquatic green plant is high in bioavailable protein, iron, vitamin B12, vitamins, minerals and polyphenols and substituted meat intake.
The team has shown in previous studies that the green Mediterranean diet has a variety of health effects ranging from the microbiome to age-related degenerative diseases.
A group of 294 participants participated in the 18-month trial.
“A healthy lifestyle is a solid foundation for any weight loss program. We learned from the results of our experiment that the quality of food is no less important than the amount of calories consumed and the current goal is to understand the mechanisms of various nutrients, for example positive ones such as polyphenolsand negative, such as empty carbohydrates and processed red meat, on the rate of differentiation of fat cells and their aggregation in the viscera.”says Prof. Shai.
“A 14% reduction in visceral fat is a spectacular achievement for making simple changes to your diet and lifestyle. Weight loss is an important goal only if it is accompanied by impressive weight loss results. adipose tissue“notes Dr. Hila Zelicha.
Hila Zelicha et al, The effect of the high-polyphenol Mediterranean diet on visceral adiposity: the DIRECT PLUS randomized controlled trial, BMC Medicine (2022). DOI: 10.1186/s12916-022-02525-8
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Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Citation: Green Mediterranean Diet Reduces Twice Visceral Fat Than Traditional Mediterranean Diet (November 28, 2022) Accessed November 29, 2022 at https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-11-green-mediterranean-diet -visceral-fat.html
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