mediterranean diet

A decade-long study of 11,000 Spanish university grads has shown that a healthy Mediterranean-style diet is pricier than a less-healthy typical Western one.

Dr. Maira Bes-Rastrollo from the University of Navarra led the study, which was published in the September issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

You hear a lot about the Mediterranean Diet, and how it keeps those Greeks and Italians looking olive-toned and healthy.

Now, despite the Mediterranean's feisty reputation, eating a Mediterranean diet, rich in beans, fruits and vegetables, may keep your mind healthy, specifically preventing Alzheimer's and dementia

A study of 1,800 people in their seventies, undertaken by Columbia University, found that diet and exercise are both factors in preventing the development of Alzheimer's, whether alone or in combination.

This is believed to be the first study where diet and exercise have been considered as separate factors in reducing the chances of developing Alzheimer's.

A landmark study comparing Low fat, Low carb and Mediterranean diets over a 2 year period has shown low carb and Mediterranean diets to be favorable alternatives to low fat. The study looked at weight loss, blood lipids, glycemic control and inflammation.

Let's explore the study details and see what applications may arise from it.

It's not terribly sexy.

As diets go, it floats under the radar. It's not promoted heavily by any celebrities and if it were, it wouldn't get much press anyway. It's been permutated, repackaged and resold by diet book authors, and it quietly goes about its business preventing disease, prolonging life, cutting heart disease risk, dodging type II diabetes, curbing Alzheimer's and fighting allergies among other health-boosting attributes.

The latest on the Mediterranean diet is its impact on cancer, with a recent study showing a 12% reduced risk by implementing just a couple of Mediterranean-inspired easy-to-make changes.

MediterrAsian is a site that has been around since 2004. It showcases the best aspects of both a Mediterranean style of eating along with traditional Asian dietary habits.

Ric Watson and Trudy Thelander (who created the site) recently published a book - The Mediterrasian Way.

It's both a cookbook and diet book.

A controlled study of Type 2 diabetics shows that a "stone-age" or paleolithic diet is better at controlling symptoms than a Mediterranean diet.

New research suggests that a Mediterranean-style diet could offer protection from asthma and allergic rhinitis.

Why do children in some parts of Europe, such as the UK, get asthma while others, in places like Crete, do not?

Two studies have appeared in two separate Neurology journals linking diet and cognition. One study links increased body weight with declining mental function, and another claims that a Mediterranean style diet can prevent Alzheimer's disease.

The Sonoma Diet has been one of the most popular diets over the last few years. Written by Registered Dietitian Connie Guttersen, the diet takes its name from the Sonoma region in California. The Sonoma Valley region is renowned for its wine industry - and the diet has a distinctly Mediterranean theme.

The Mediterranean Diet has always been popular. It's a diet that is styled after the eating habits of the Southern Mediterranean region. Weight loss super-site eDiets have just created an entire Mediterranean plan and added it to their extensive selection of diets.

This marks a further departure from including "brand-name" diets - and instead focusing on providing excellent all-round eating plans.

In one of the biggest studies conducted to date, the Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce mortality: In a study of nearly 75,000 Europeans aged 60 and above, the diet based on plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, fish and olive oil was linked to a longer life expectancy.