The Mediterranean diet: good for the body, good for the heart

Recommended by academic associations^2,3 and praised by the public, the Mediterranean diet (sidenote: Mediterranean diet Rich in fruit, vegetables, cereals, oilseeds (nuts) and fish, and low in red meat, saturated fats and dairy products. Lăcătușu CM, Grigorescu ED, Floria M, et al. The Mediterranean Diet: From an Environment-Driven Food Culture to an Emerging Medical Prescription. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Mar 15;16(6):942. ) has proven its effectiveness in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. But if it were more “vegetarian”, would the beneficial effects for our arteries be even greater? Recent studies suggest that by decreasing the proportion of animal proteins and fats in our diet in favor of vegetable equivalents (nuts, seeds, legumes, olive oil, etc.), the incidence of heart attacks, strokes, and death from cardiovascular disease would fall dramatically, 30%-40% less than with a “standard” diet.

Mankai and green tea: heart benefits of the Green-Med diet

Israeli researchers have just confirmed these results through their purpose-made Green-Med diet (sidenote: Green-Med “Green Mediterranean” diet ) , a “greener” version of the Mediterranean diet. The 300 individuals involved in the study all suffered from abdominal obesity and/or excess fat in the blood, and were therefore at cardiovascular risk. They followed either the Green-Med diet, a classic Mediterranean diet, or the standard “healthy” dietary guidance. All participants took part in moderate physical activity. The researchers also sought to explore the links between these diets and the gut microbiota, as well as their impact on weight loss and various determinants of cardiometabolic risk, such as waist circumference, blood pressure, and blood sugar control (sidenote: Insulin-resistance An altered response of cells to the action of insulin (a hormone that helps the body use sugar for energy), insulin resistance results in poor regulation of blood sugar levels. Sources
Inserm. La résistance à l’insuline, une histoire de communication. 2018. 
Centers for disease control and prevention. Diabetes - Resources and Publications -Glossary  ) .

The Mediterranean diets contained the same number of calories and were both supplemented with nuts (28 g per day). The Green-Med diet also included :

• green tea (3-4 cups per day)
• and Mankai (sidenote: Mankai Mankai, or Wolffia globosa, is an aquatic plant known for its nutritional qualities. It is rich in proteins (45% of dry weight), essential amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids, dietary fiber, polyphenols, and numerous micronutrients.
  Sela I, Yaskolka Meir A, Brandis A, et al. Wolffia globosa-Mankai Plant-Based Protein Contains Bioactive Vitamin B12 and Is Well Absorbed in Humans. Nutrients. 2020;12(10):3067. ) (100 g per day), an Asian plant rich in fiber and vegetable protein that can be used as a meat substitute.

These two foods also contain polyphenols known to influence fat metabolism⁴ and promote weight loss.

A modified microbiota with fewer microorganisms and amino acids linked to excess weight 

After six months, all three groups showed changes in their gut microbiota. However, the Green-Med diet was distinguished by several changes, particularly in rare, person-specific, and diet-influenced microorganism species. Specifically, it led to an increase in Prevotella, previously associated with vegetarian diets, and a decrease in Bifidobacteria, known to improve sugar metabolism and facilitate weight loss. Insulin resistance and the production and absorption by these microorganisms of certain amino acids involved in obesity were also reduced.

Green-Med, the champion of cardiovascular health

The results: the Green-Med diet topped the podium in terms of weight loss (-6.5% vs -5.4% for the Mediterranean diet and -1.6% for the standard diet). Green-Med also led to improvements in markers of cardiometabolic risk. According to the researchers, these benefits are at least in part related to Green-Med’s impact on the gut microbiota.