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Dear Colleagues and Friends,
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Dietary patterns and health
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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
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Neurodegenerative disorders
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It is well-known that some components of the Mediterranean diet may have benefits in reducing pain risk through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. However, until recently, there was no epidemiological evidence of the potential effect of adhering to this diet on subsequent improvement in pain characteristics. A new population-based study from the Seniors-ENRICA-1 and Seniors-ENRICA-2 cohorts found that compared with participants in the lowest quartile of the MEDAS score (lowest adherence to the Mediterranean diet), those in the highest quartile showed a higher frequency of pain improvement. This association was further demonstrated for two specific components of the assessed pain scale: improvement in pain severity and reduction in the number of pain locations. The main contributors to these associations were high consumption of fruit and vegetables, and low consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. These findings suggest that improving diet quality may help reduce the high health impact of pain.
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The traditional Mediterranean diet is also characterized by a low consumption of meat and meat products (<1 serving/day according to the MEDAS score from the landmark PREDIMED randomized trial). However, not surprisingly, a new investigation funded by the Beef Checkoff suggests that a daily intake of lean, unprocessed red meat like beef can also form a part of a healthy Mediterranean-style dietary pattern. This study found that a Mediterranean dietary pattern with different amounts of lean beef (14, 71, or 156 grams/day) improves lipids and lipoproteins when compared with a typical American dietary pattern containing 71 g/d of lean beef. It is worth noting the importance of the comparison group in nutritional epidemiology studies. In this study, it could be expected that a Mediterranean diet, even one that includes a daily intake of beef, would lead to healthier lipid profiles compared to an American dietary pattern. Although the transferability of the Mediterranean diet to non-Mediterranean countries should include flexibility, a substantial reduction (or even total avoidance) of elements which are fully in opposition to the concept of this diet (sugar-sweetened beverages, red and processed meats, milk, butter, sweets, biscuits or cakes) should be emphasized.
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Despite the benefits of following a healthy lifestyle, widespread adoption of physical activity and dietary recommendations is still infrequent. The Healthy Cities corporate program aims to counteract the effect of sedentary behaviours increasingly present among work environments. A recent study aimed to analyze how physical activity and adherence to the Mediterranean diet among employees participating in the Healthy Cities program have been affected during confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results revealed that workers were more likely to show sedentary behaviors during the pandemic than before (83.5% vs. 66.7%). Nevertheless, they were more likely to reach high levels of physical activity (51.2% vs. 64%). Lastly, participants reported higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet during the pandemic (76.4%) than before (54.5%). These findings suggest a positive effect of working from home for employees involved in a health-promotion program and highlight the relevance of this kind of action among this population.
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