The benefits of eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, legumes and healthy fats like olive oil are pretty substantial. It can not only help cut the risk of heart attack, protect against diabetes and prevent childhood obesity but also lower the risk of developing chronic kidney disease by almost 50 percent!According to a study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, the Mediterranean diet is an ideal one as it restricts consumption of red meat, processed food and sweets. This can also reduce the risk of rapid kidney function decline by 42 percent.For the study, researchers examined the associations of a Mediterranean diet on long-term kidney function in an observational, community-based, prospective study. They observed 900 participants over seven years, and assessed how closely their eating habits resembled the Mediterranean diet. Researchers found that every one-point increase in Mediterranean diet score was associated with a 17 percent decrease in their likelihood of developing chronic kidney disease.
What makes a Mediterranean diet healthy?
The Mediterranean diet typically includes unsaturated fats found in olive oil, nuts and avocados, along with vegetables like spinach, celery and carrots that are rich in nitrites and nitrates. When these two food groups are combined, the reaction of unsaturated fatty acids with nitrogen compounds in the vegetables resulted in the formation of nitro fatty acids. Nitro fatty acids help in lowering blood pressure. This is one of the reasons why those living in the Mediterranean regions have higher life expectancy and lesser cases of cardiovascular diseases.
With inputs from IANS
What makes a Mediterranean diet healthy?
The Mediterranean diet typically includes unsaturated fats found in olive oil, nuts and avocados, along with vegetables like spinach, celery and carrots that are rich in nitrites and nitrates. When these two food groups are combined, the reaction of unsaturated fatty acids with nitrogen compounds in the vegetables resulted in the formation of nitro fatty acids. Nitro fatty acids help in lowering blood pressure. This is one of the reasons why those living in the Mediterranean regions have higher life expectancy and lesser cases of cardiovascular diseases.
With inputs from IANS
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