Sugar Awareness Week: Mediterranean diet may lower blood sugar and prevent diabetic symptoms, flags EUFIC

17 Nov 2022 --- To mark Sugar Awareness Week, the European Union Food Information Council (EUFIC) touts the efficacy of the Mediterranean diet’s reported health benefits. The organization says that adopting the diet along with other changes may be the best strategy to avert Type 2 diabetes and diabetes-related health problems.

“Lifestyle changes are key to preventing Type 2 diabetes and its complications,” Laura Bosman, content creator at the EUFIC, tells NutritionInsight. “Evidence has demonstrated that a Mediterranean diet is useful in the prevention of Type 2 diabetes and can improve blood glucose levels.”

“Furthermore, many people could find the Mediterranean diet to be an effective strategy to help manage their weight and a dietary pattern that is easy to follow long-term due to its flexibility and the accessibility of the characteristic foods,” Bosman details.

When in Rome
The diet gets its namesake because it is based on the eating habits of people in countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, like Spain, Greece and Italy. 

It encourages the consumption of fresh and seasonal foods and is considered by the organization to be more of a pattern of eating than a prescribed diet.

That being said, Bosman affirms that there are some aspects that should be followed to achieve the best results.

The Mediterranean diet combined with exercise, is a good strategy for preventing Type 2 diabetes, the EUFIC states.“A Mediterranean diet is generally characterized by a high intake of plant-based foods – like fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts and cereals – and olive oil, a moderate intake of fish and poultry, and low intakes of dairy products such as yogurt and cheese, as well as red and processed meats and sweets,” she explains.

 Not by bread alone
Another aspect of the diet is that it requires more than just a change in eating habits. 

Other requirements include things like regular exercise and not smoking tobacco. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes all of these practices and further recommends limiting fatty intakes to less than 10% of overall calorie intake and sugars to less than 5%. 

The WHO also promotes eating lots of dietary fiber through legumes, fruits, vegetables and whole-grain cereals. Many other groups are also recognizing the diet’s benefits and are aiming to increase awareness and create new ways for people to comprehend, maintain and adhere to the diet. 

Recently, a group of researchers in Switzerland announced the results of an artificial intelligence platform that uses smartphones to help calculate the value of meals while recognizing whether the meals adhere to the diet’s restrictions and provides weekly reports on progress to the users. The researchers found that 19 out of 24 people improved their ability to stick to the diet.

“Given that reducing one’s caloric intake is recommended in patients with Type 2 diabetes to lower excessive body weight, which is considered the strongest risk factor for developing Type 2 diabetes, following a Mediterranean diet can be seen as a useful strategy,” Bosman concludes.

By William Bradford Nichols