Mediterranean diet reduced type 2 diabetes incidence

Salas-Salvado J. Diabetes Care. 2011;34:14-19.

Adhering to a Mediterranean diet enriched with olive oil and nuts cut diabetes incidence by 52% in patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease, according to recent data.

Researchers for the Prevencion con Dieta Mediterranea (PREDIMED) study in Spain randomly assigned 418 participants to one of three dietary interventions: two involving traditional Mediterranean diets (MedDiets) supplemented with virgin olive oil or mixed nuts and one involving a low-fat control diet. Patients were a mean age of 67.3 years.

After a median of 4 years, the cumulative incidence of type 2 diabetes was 10.1% in the MedDiet plus virgin olive oil group (95% CI, 5.1-15.1) and 11% in the MedDiet plus nuts group (95% CI, 5.9-16.1). At 17.9%, however, diabetes incidence was noticeably higher in the control arm (95% CI, 11.4-24.4). These numbers translated to a 51% decline in diabetes incidence in the MedDiet with virgin olive oil participants and a 52% decrease in those on the MedDiet with nuts. Pooled results revealed a combined reduction in incidence of 52%.

According to other results, adjusted HRs also indicated a lower risk of developing diabetes in the intervention arms, according to the researchers. The MedDiet with virgin olive oil group had a HR of 0.49 (95% CI, 0.25-0.97) and the MedDiet with nuts had a HR of 0.48 (95% CI, o.24-0.96) compared with the control group.

The researchers noted no significant differences in weight loss between patients on the MedDiets and those on the low-fat diet. Similarly, changes in physical activity were comparable among study arms.

The majority of participants reported no difficulties in adhering to the diet, although individual counsel, negotiation and small diet adjustments completed with dietitians resolved problems experienced by 3% of those assigned to the MedDiets.

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