Due to the alarming high rates of illnesses such as high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer which can be shown to have an association to poor dietary habits among people in Syracuse there has been an interest in the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet. MayoClinic.com writes that the Mediterranean diet, which includes of vegetables, fruits, fish, olive oil and wine, reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
Now there is news research has helped explain some of the health benefits of this diet in an article in Nutrition Horizon, "Mediterranean Diet Linked to Reduced Small Vessel Damage in the Brain." According to a study led by Miller School researchers, which was published in the February issue of Archives of Neurology, consumption of a Mediterranean-style diet is associated with a reduced white matter hyperintesity volume (WMHV) on brain magnetic resonance imaging, which is a marker of small vessel damage in the brain.
Clinton Wright, M.D., M.S, the report’s senior author, has said “Although diet may be an important predictor of vascular disease, little is known about the possible association between dietary habits and WMHs. Studies have suggested that consumption of a MeDi (Mediterranean Diet) is associated with a reduced risk of the metabolic syndrome, coronary heart disease, stroke and cognitive disorders, but no studies to date, to our knowledge, have found an association between a MeDi and WMH volume (WMHV).”
These results of this study suggested a lower burden of WMHV among participants with a greater consumption of a MeDi. The association was found to be independent of sociodemographic and vascular risk factors including physical activity, smoking, blood lipid levels, hypertension, diabetes, history of cardiac disease and BMI. Wright has commented “In summary, the current study suggests a possible protective association between increased consumption of a MeDi and small vessel damage." It is clearly worthwhile to consider the Mediterranean diet for good overall health with scientific understandings about the benefits of this diet being better than ever.
