Following a Mediterranean diet has a beneficial effect on the cardiometabolic health of children and adolescents. Improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol levels can be achieved at a young age.
A recent study involving experts from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health examined the connection between the Mediterranean diet and cardiometabolic biomarkers in children and adolescents. The results can be read in the journal “JAMA Network Open”.
Does cardiometabolic health benefit?
In a systematic review and meta-analysis, the team evaluated a total of nine randomized clinical trials with 577 participants with an average age of eleven years to determine the effects of the Mediterranean diet on biomarkers of cardiometabolic health in children and adolescents.
Blood pressure and blood sugar lowered
The researchers found that a Mediterranean diet has various health benefits. Among other things, it was associated with a significant reduction in blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Beneficial for cholesterol levels
The team also found that participants in the intervention groups experienced a reduction in LDL cholesterol, which is often described as unhealthy, while simultaneously increasing healthy HDL cholesterol.
However, other biomarkers examined by the researchers, including glucose and insulin, did not show any significant association with adherence to a Mediterranean diet.
Also recommended for adults
Overall, the results show that a Mediterranean diet is extremely beneficial for children and adolescents. But not only adolescents, but also adults can benefit greatly from such a diet.
A study published in the English-language journal “Human Nutrition & Metabolism” showed that the Mediterranean diet is associated with a self-perceived improvement in general health and, in particular, with a lower body mass index (BMI).
Combining Japanese & Mediterranean diet
Another study, the results of which can be read in the English-language journal “Endocrine metabolic immune disorders drug targets”, also examined the health effects of a combined Japanese and Mediterranean diet.
The combination of the two diets has been linked to a reduction in the risk of various diseases, which experts attribute to the inhibition of chronic inflammation.
Taken together, the results of the various studies underline the potential of the Mediterranean diet to improve the health of adolescents and adults. There is therefore much to be said for choosing it as the basis of the daily diet. (as)