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Dear Colleagues and Friends,
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Neurodegenerative diseases
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This study estimated the consumption of whole almonds in a nationally representative UK population and examined the associations with diet quality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The 6,802 adult participants were asked to record all food and drink consumed over 4 consecutive days, comprising of 3 weekdays and one weekend day, including portion sizes, brand names, and recipes of home cooked foods. Whole almond consumption was defined as any intake of whole almond kernels only or almond kernels in mixed nuts. The study concluded almond intake is low in the UK population, nevertheless consumption was associated with better dietary quality and lower CVD risk factors. In addition, UK almond consumers were characterized by overall healthier dietary patterns. Habitual consumption of whole almonds should be encouraged as part of a healthy diet.
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Another study investigated whether a metabolic signature composed of multiple plasma metabolites can be used to characterize the adherence and metabolic response to the Mediterranean diet and whether such metabolic signature is associated with cardiovascular disease risk. The cohort included 1,859 participants from the Spanish PREDIMED trial and validation cohorts included 6,868 participants from the US Nurses' Health Studies I and II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (NHS/HPFS). The study identified a metabolic signature that robustly reflects the adherence and metabolic response to a Mediterranean diet, as well as predict future CVD risk independent of traditional risk factors in Spanish and US cohorts.
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The objective of another study was to explore the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and long term weight loss maintenance (more than 12 months). To do this, 565 adults (62% women) from the MedWeight study were supervised under 2 categories: 1. Maintainers (≤90% max weight) and 2. Regainers (>95% max weight). Dietary intake was assessed by 2 non-consecutive 24-hour recalls within 10 days. This study supports the beneficial role of protein intake and the consumption of fruits for weight loss maintenance. It also revealed the consumption of potatoes, legumes, olive oil, modest consumption of alcohol, and a lower consumption of red meat may be important for weight loss maintenance. In conclusion, higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a 2-fold increased likelihood of weight loss maintenance. These results highlight the potential beneficial effect of the Mediterranean diet pattern for long-term obesity management, as well as provide novel targets for diet planning during weight loss maintenance.
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