Mediterranean Diet Linked to Less Inflammation
Adherence to a Mediterranean diet is linked with lower levÂels of inflamÂmaÂtion markÂers assoÂciÂated with increased risk of coroÂnary heart disÂease, as found by Italian researchers. Platelet and white blood cell counts, markÂers of inflamÂmaÂtion, were lower in indiÂvidÂuÂals with high adherÂence to the Mediterranean diet, which is also assoÂciÂated with reduced risk of heart disÂease, canÂcer, and diaÂbetes.
Italian researchers have found that adherÂence to a Mediterranean diet is assoÂciÂated with lower levÂels of inflamÂmaÂtion markÂers that are linked with increased risk of coroÂnary heart disÂease.
It is believed inflamÂmaÂtion is assoÂciÂated with a higher risk of heart disÂease. Platelet (PLT) and white blood cell (WBC) counts are two markÂers of inflamÂmaÂtion and have been linked to the risk for carÂdioÂvasÂcuÂlar disÂease. The Mediterranean diet has also been assoÂciÂated with less inflamÂmaÂtion and reduced risk of sevÂeral chronic disÂeases such as heart disÂease, canÂcer and diaÂbetes.
In this study that was pubÂlished in the Journal of the American Society of Hematology, the invesÂtiÂgaÂtors set out to evalÂuÂate the effect of the Mediterranean diet on platelet and white blood cell counts. Their research included 14,586 indiÂvidÂuÂals from the Moli-sani study, a large epiÂdemiÂoÂlogÂiÂcal popÂuÂlaÂtion study in the Molise region in Italy that is focusÂing on the mechÂaÂnism of inflamÂmaÂtion.
The results showed that indiÂvidÂuÂals who had a high adherÂence to the Mediterranean diet had lower levÂels of PLT and WBC counts comÂpared to those with lower adherÂence rates. It is noted that dietary antioxÂiÂdants such as those found in olive oil, wine and vegÂetaÂbles and also dietary fiber parÂtially accounted for this assoÂciÂaÂtion.
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