Mediterranean diet plus exercise burns fat and adds muscle

Rich in colorful fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and lean proteins, a Mediterranean style of eating consistently receives praise for its long list of health benefits, including preventing heart disease and diabetes.

Now, new research from Spain shows that this way of eating, when combined with regular exercise and fewer calories, can reduce dangerous abdominal fat in older people, while also helping to preserve their muscle mass.

Fat that accumulates around the belly is known to cause inflammation and has been linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some forms of cancer. It is known that muscle mass decreases with age, which can lead to weakness, less mobility and a greater likelihood of falls.

The study, led by researcher Dora Romaguera, from the Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands, included just over 1,500 middle-aged and older people who were overweight or obese and had metabolic syndrome, a set of disorders that signal an increased risk of a person having health problems. diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

A group of people followed a Mediterranean diet while cutting calories by 30% and increasing physical activity. They were also instructed to limit their consumption of processed foods, meats, butter, added sugar and to eat more whole grains. But the advice was not limited to nutrition: they were also encouraged to progressively increase their physical activity, with the aim of walking 45 minutes a day or more, six days a week, along with exercises to improve strength.

A second group of people followed a Mediterranean diet without calorie restrictions or changes in physical activity.

People who reduced their calories and exercised regularly while adhering to a Mediterranean diet showed a decrease in belly fat and total fat, and kept much of it off for three years.

In contrast, people in the other group didn’t see any changes in their belly fat.

Both groups gained some lean muscle mass, but people in the more calorie-restricted exercise arm lost more fat than muscle.

The study, published October 23 in the journal Open JAMA Networkpresents three-year results from an ongoing eight-year study designed to see whether this eating style can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Two experts weren’t surprised that the combination worked.

“This is an ambitious and elegant study,” said Cewin Chao, director of clinical nutrition services at Montefiore Health System in New York City. “If you eat a high-quality diet, exercise, and reduce calories, you will lose more body fat, especially the deeper, more dangerous fat around the belly area that surrounds your organs, and you will preserve more muscle. at the three-year mark.”

“If you reduce your calorie intake and increase physical activity, you will lose weight. That always works,” said Marion Nestle, a retired professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University in New York City.

“People following a Mediterranean diet were able to maintain a reduced caloric intake and better caloric balance throughout the three years of the study,” said Nestlé. “This type of diet is associated with all types of good health and is highly recommended.”

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