The Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
Writer: Wan SofaSyifa
Reviewed by: Fenny Lim, BSc. (Hons) Nutrition, UKM
The Mediterranean diet has been a hot topic for years, gaining more attention as we become more aware of its numerous benefits. What is it that makes the Mediterranean diet so special, and how can you include it in your daily life? Let’s get into it.
What is the Mediterranean Diet?
The Mediterranean diet is a diet that favors vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats. Protein-wise, it is heavy on seafood and white meat. The diet focuses on overall eating patterns weekly and monthly instead of a single meal. Like the name itself, it originates from countries along the Mediterranean Sea, such as Greece, Italy, southern France, and parts of the Middle East [1].
If you were to put the Mediterranean diet in a food pyramid, it would be very different from the normal food pyramid you are used to.
Image of Mediterranean diet pyramid and normal food pyramid.
As you can see, the Mediterranean diet food pyramid is more elaborate instead of featuring only basic food types, with more segmentations and precise food groups emphasizing how often it should be eaten weekly instead of for a single meal.
The concept of this diet has been extensively researched and has received widespread agreement on its potential benefits since it was first introduced at an international World Health Organization (WHO) meeting in 1995 by Ancel Keys [2].
The Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
To support his hypothesis on how diet, lifestyle, and risk factors can affect health, Ancel Keys started a decades-long study spanning the globe called the Seven Countries Study. This is now known as the first epidemiological study on the subject, prompting hundreds, if not thousands, of studies associating the Mediterranean diet with various health conditions.
Researchers have found several benefits of the Mediterranean diet, including;
Reducing the Risk of Metabolic Diseases
Metabolism is your body’s natural process of making energy from food [3]. Metabolic disorders happen when there are abnormal chemical reactions that disrupt your metabolism. An example of this is diabetes, a condition that prevents your insulin from regulating your blood sugar levels [4].
The Mediterranean diet’s plant-based and generous use of olive oil in cooking can improve your metabolic function. Incorporating unsaturated fatty acids from olive oil is particularly helpful to those with diabetes and high cholesterol [5].
Reducing the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are health issues affecting the heart and blood vessels. This condition, left untreated, can cause heart attacks and strokes, the world’s leading causes of death. In the US, heart attacks and strokes are still among the top five causes of death; heart attacks in the first place, strokes in fifth [6].
Examples of established CVD risk factors are;
- High blood pressure
- High blood cholesterol
- Prediabetes or diabetes
- Overweight or obesity
- Familial history of diseases
Multiple studies [7] [8] have shown that a Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of CVDs, such as insulin resistance associated with diabetes, when practiced consistently and diligently.
Reducing Inflammation and Boosting Immunity
Inflammation is the immune system’s natural response to injuries, allergies, and infections. There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic inflammation. When your body experiences acute inflammation, it naturally responds to injury or infection. However, chronic inflammation can lead to harm and is associated with many chronic diseases [9].
The Mediterranean diet features various antioxidant-rich nutrients with anti-inflammatory properties [10]. Besides antioxidants, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and more are available in the Mediterranean diet. You can find these micronutrients in food like;
Since these anti-inflammatory effects improve your immune system, this diet is known to help reduce flu cases and the severity of fever [11]. In fact, a recent 2021 review [12] even considers the Mediterranean diet’s potential strategy against the Covid-19 virus.
Reducing the Risk of Dementia
Dementia is a decline in cognitive function often accompanying aging, including Alzheimer’s disease and other related disorders. In 2017, WHO recognized this condition as a public health priority, advocating increased awareness, research, and treatment innovations [13].
Several meta-analyses [14] [15] [16] [17] find that the Mediterranean diet can have a positive effect on cognitive function and may help reduce the risk of dementia. Researchers agree that this happens because of the extensive use of olive oil, vegetables, and fish in the dietary pattern.
Improving Sleep Quality
Sleep disorder is a condition that affects your sleep quality, timing, and the amount of sleep you experience at night. This might mean you have restless sleep, often wake up in the middle of the night, get less sleep, or all of these combined situations [18]. A normal adult should get around six to eight hours of undisturbed sleep every night, and any deviation will result in sleep deprivation.
Consistently following the Mediterranean diet can improve sleep quality. Recent studies [19] [20] suggest that melatonin, magnesium, and amino acids found in the diet’s natural food contribute to this.
Additionally, the anti-inflammatory properties of most foods in the diet also reduce neuroinflammation linked to sleep disorders.
CellLabs® Oxxynovia® 6000 - All the Benefits of The Mediterranean Diet
Featuring Oxxynea® [21], CellLabs® Oxxynovia® 6000 is our antioxidant concentrate formulated with 22 fruits and vegetables in the Mediterranean diet known to have rich nutrients good for your body.
Image of Mediterranean fruits and vegetables that make up CellLabs® Oxxynovia® 6000.
It is also formulated with Vinovia® [22], pure, whole grape extracts. Grapes are another staple fruit in the Mediterranean diet and are superfruits rich in antioxidants. Whole grapes have many benefits [23], such as anti-inflammation, improving eye health, and boosting immunity.
A formulation of these two extracts allows our CellLabs® Oxxynovia® 6000 to have a potent effect, especially on your immune system. Both formulated ingredients have undergone clinical trials and have positive results in reducing the severity of cold symptoms with an ORAC value of 6,000.
ORAC, or Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, results from a lab test that quantifies food's “total antioxidant capacity” (TAC). The process involves placing the food sample, certain molecules that generate free radicals, and molecules vulnerable to oxidation in a test tube.
ORAC is the industry's most popular and reliable test because it measures the antioxidant activity instead of the nutrients in the food sample. How well the sample protects the vulnerable molecule and how active the antioxidant is determines its ORAC value*. Experts believe that ORAC value is a better indicator of how good a supplement is than a simple ingredient list.
Yes, we highly recommend you take CellLabs® Oxxynovia® 6000 as a daily supplement or as a support for colds and flu. CellLabs® Oxxynovia® 6000 can be taken by all, including children below 12. The intake direction is simple: one sachet daily, diluted in cold or warm water.
CellLabs® Oxxynovia® 6000 is best taken as an alternative to vitamin C supplements, especially for people who do not like taking tablets or the sour taste of vitamin C effervescent tablets. Check out the figure below to see why CellLabs® Oxxynovia® 6000 is your better alternative to vitamin C supplements.
As a daily supplement, we highly recommend CellLabs® Oxxynovia® 6000 to individuals who might not eat enough fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. Taking CellLabs® Oxxynovia® 6000 is similar to five servings of fruits and vegetables.
We do want to highlight that CellLabs® Oxxynovia® 6000 should not be an alternative to proper diet and treatment for health conditions. A balanced diet is important, and CellLabs® Oxxynovia® 6000 supplements give you that extra nutrient concentration. For the flu, if you have persistent symptoms, we advise you to see a doctor and get proper treatment – you might have a viral or bacterial infection.
We welcome you to try CellLabs® Oxxynovia® 6000 and decide whether you want it on your shelf regularly or not.
