Can a Healthy Diet Heal the Damages Caused by Obesity?

A new study highlights the relationship between obesity and its damages caused to the body. It relates it to a highly praised and healthy Mediterranean diet which may change the consequences for the body. The complete study results are published in the journal PLOS Medicine.

This research was conducted by Karl Michaëlsson and his colleagues from Uppsala University, Sweden. They found that high body mass was responsible for more than 4 million deaths worldwide back in 2015.

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Nearly 2/3^rd of deaths are caused by an underlying cardiovascular condition. There is plenty of evidence to explain how eating patterns can change the risk to the heart’s health and it is also linked with obesity.

The research team found that dietary patterns and death rates among people who were a part of the Swedish Mammography Cohort and Cohort of Swedish Men were related. They went through the details of 79,003 adult Swedish people who were assessed based on their diet that mainly contained fruits, veggies, olive oil, grains, and nuts. This information was analyzed based on certain factors such as age, activity level, nicotine habits, and socioeconomic conditions.

A follow up after 21 years showed that nearly 38% of these people have lost their lives. The group with the highest BMI ratio was at the highest risk and those with normal weight were eating healthy.

For the deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases, obesity is indeed a risk factor. But this risk was significantly reduced when these obese patients were following the Mediterranean diet. Despite having a higher BMI, their eating habits were saving them from death by cardiovascular diseases. Also, low BMI levels didn’t ensure a high risk of cardiovascular diseases and related deaths.

These details show that sticking to healthy diet options is not only helpful for weight management or weight reduction but it can also save people from death especially caused by cardiovascular diseases.

So if a person wants to lower his risk of dying out of any cardiovascular disease, he should pay attention to what he is eating. Not only it will improve his metabolism and immunity but also change how his body responds to a certain risk factor such as high cholesterol. With or without losing weight, he is more likely to reduce the risk of heart-related conditions.

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The Mediterranean diet is a popular and healthy weight loss diet these days but it can be traced back to 1960. It is based on the dietary habits of people from Italy and Greece realizing that people from these areas are healthier than Americans and are at low risk of diseases. There are numerous studies that reveal that this diet can make a person lose weight and also prevent heart attacks, diabetes, strokes, and even early death.

There is no standard form of a Mediterranean diet. It is changeable and anyone can customize this diet as per his taste and preference.

For a basic idea, it emphasizes eating fresh veggies, fruits, and whole grains in addition to bread and legumes. Food like poultry, dairy, and eggs are to be eaten in moderation. People following the Mediterranean diet can eat red meat but only on rare occasions. Eating artificial sweeteners, refined grains, and processed foods is highly discouraged.