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Dear Colleagues and Friends,
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Mental health and cognitive function
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Diet quality and dietary patterns
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Persistent organic pollutants
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It is already well-known and has been demonstrated by the PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) randomized trial that the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) can be effective for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. A new analysis within the PREDIMED-Plus-Cognition sub-study has now revealed that MedDiet interventions could also be beneficial in improving cognition among individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Although metformin has been used since the 1950s as first-line pharmacotherapy for treating patients with T2D with good glycemic control, there is currently considerable controversy about its effect on cognition. This is the first study to date to examine the effect of metformin on cognition in older adults with T2D following a MedDiet intervention. Among participants with good glycemic control, those treated with metformin presented a better baseline performance in memory, executive functions and global cognition than those not treated with metformin. However, those not treated with metformin presented higher adherence to the MedDiet over time as well as greater improvements in memory, executive functions and global cognition, so that baseline differences between individuals with T2D treated and not treated with metformin vanished after 1 and 3 years of a MedDiet intervention. These results suggest that adherence to a MedDiet intervention could be superior to the potential neuroprotective effects of metformin among older adults with overweight and metabolic syndrome who have good glycemic control of their T2D.
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Likewise, there is overwhelming evidence that diet and other related factors such as alcohol intake, physical activity or obesity have an important impact on cancer risk, meanwhile positive behaviour changes can significantly reduce cancer risk and burden. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the largest cohort studies in the world, was precisely designed to investigate the relationship between diet and cancer, among other chronic diseases. A new systematic review analyzed the findings from EPIC on the relationship between diet-related exposures and incidence or mortality from the four most frequent cancers in the European population: colorectal, breast, lung, and prostate cancer. Overall findings showed that fruit and vegetable consumption had a protective effect against colorectal, breast, and lung cancer, whereas only fruit had a protective effect against prostate cancer. A higher consumption of fish and lower consumption of red and processed meat were related with a lower risk of colorectal cancer; a higher consumption of fatty fish with lower risk of breast cancer; and alcohol consumption increased the risk for colorectal and breast cancer. Calcium and yogurt intake were found to protect against colorectal and prostate cancer. Finally, adherence to the MedDiet emerged as a protective factor for colorectal and breast cancer.
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Lastly, another PREDIMED-Plus sub-study has shown the protective effect of diet at a molecular level in relation to aging. The authors observed greater adherence to the specific recommendations (greater increase in the MedDiet adherence and leisure-time physical activity) and greater metabolic benefits (greater weight loss and increase in HDL concentrations) in participants within the intervention group than in those in the control group advised to follow an unrestricted caloric MedDiet with no advice on weight loss. Despite these differences between groups, there was a favourable change in telomere length in both groups during follow-up. No significant differences in relation to telomere length were observed between intervention groups, suggesting both interventions produced beneficial effects on MedDiet adherence. Therefore, these findings suggest that the MedDiet could have an important role in preventing telomere shortening.
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