This is yet another support for the med. diet as one that promotes long
term health and lowers risks of chronic disease, one posted yesterday
showed that it promotes longer life in elderly folk.  One can brandish
about all the nutrition theology one wants, the test of the pudding is the
real world experiment of large populations for long periods, such as the
med. and e. asian diets.

   Mediterranean diet may be effective in reducing metabolic syndrome and
                             associated symptoms
                                     
  In a study in the September 22/29 issue of JAMA, Katherine Esposito,
  M.D., of the Second University of Naples, Italy, and colleagues
  demonstrated that a Mediterranean-style diet had beneficial effects on
  endothelial (a layer of flat cells lining the closed internal spaces
  of the body, including the blood vessels) function and in reducing
  vascular inflammatory markers in patients with the metabolic syndrome.

  According to background information in the article, the metabolic
  syndrome consists of several factors that increase the risk of
  cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Recent estimates indicate
  that the metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent in the United States,
  with an estimated 24 percent of the adult population affected. Its
  clinical identification is based on measures of abdominal obesity,
  atherogenic dyslipidemia (the formation of high levels of lipid
  deposits in the arteries), elevated blood pressure, and glucose
  intolerance. The metabolic syndrome has been identified as a target
  for dietary therapies to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease;
  however, the role of diet as contributing to the metabolic syndrome is
  poorly understood.

  The randomized trial was conducted from June 2001 to January 2004 at a
  university hospital in Italy among 180 patients (99 men and 81 women)
  with the metabolic syndrome. Patients in the intervention group (n=90)
  were instructed to follow a Mediterranean-style diet and received
  detailed advice about how to increase daily consumption of whole
  grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and olive oil; patients in the
  control group (n=90) followed a prudent diet (carbohydrates, 50
  percent-60 percent; proteins, 15 percent-20 percent; total fat, less
  than 30 percent).

  The researchers found that after 2 years, patients in the
  Mediterranean diet intervention group had significant decreases in
  body weight, blood pressure, levels of glucose, insulin, total
  cholesterol, and triglycerides and a significant increase in levels of
  high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, all of which were greater than
  those recorded in the control group. Serum concentrations of
  interleukins 6 (IL-6), 7 (IL-7), and 18 (IL-18) and high-sensitivity
  C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were significantly reduced in patients in
  the intervention group compared with those in the control group.
  Endothelial function score improved in the intervention group but
  remained stable in the control group. Forty patients consuming the
  intervention diet still had features of the metabolic syndrome,
  compared with 78 patients consuming the control diet. Participants who
  followed the intervention diet showed a reduction in the number of the
  components of the syndrome such that the overall prevalence of the
  metabolic syndrome was reduced by approximately one half.

  "The results of this study represent the first demonstration, to our
  knowledge, that a Mediterranean-style diet rich in whole grains,
  fruits, vegetables, legumes, walnuts, and olive oil might be effective
  in reducing both the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its
  associated cardiovascular risk," the authors conclude.

                                   ###

  (JAMA. 2004; 292:1440-1446. Available post-embargo at www.jama.com)

  Editor's note: This study was funded by the Second University of
  Naples.

  Editorial: Diet, Lifestyle, and Longevity--The Next Steps?

  In an accompanying editorial, Eric B. Rimm, Sc.D., and Meir J.
  Stampfer, M.D., Dr.P.H., of the Harvard School of Public Health,
  Boston, write that although understanding of the relation of lifestyle
  and health outcomes will continue to be refined, information available
  now is sufficient to take action.

  "Knoops et al have identified a simple set of lifestyle practices that
  can reduce the mortality rate among elderly individuals by nearly
  two-thirds. Esposito and colleagues provide evidence of the possible
  mechanisms for such effects. Both studies are supported by prior data.
  As a society, the United States spends billions on chronic disease
  treatments and interventions for risk factors. Although these are
  useful and important, a fraction of that investment to promote
  healthful lifestyles for primary prevention among individuals at all
  ages would yield greater benefit," the authors write.

  (JAMA. 2004; 292:1490-1492. Available post-embargo at www.jama.com)