(Reuters Health) - People who follow a diet typical of the Mediterranean region might dodge the added pounds that often come with aging, hints a new Spanish study.
However, the researchers can't be sure if it was the diet itself or related healthy behaviors that were responsible for staving off the weight.
The Mediterranean diet is generally rich in fish, fruits, vegetables, legumes and cereals, while low in red meats and dairy. Previous research has uncovered benefits for its followers, including protection from cardiovascular disease and diabetes, as well as weight loss among those who are already overweight or obese.
Yet doubts continue to linger over the potential caloric costs of the diet's high fat content, largely in the form of olive oil, noted lead researcher Juan-Jose Beunza of the University of Navarra.
"The question we wanted to answer was: What is the effect of the Mediterranean dietary pattern among young, non-obese, healthy people? And we found it is a convenient dietary pattern since it slows down the weight gain normally observed with age," Beunza told Reuters Health in an e-mail.
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People who don't eat junk food gain less. People who eat less processed food gain less. People who don't eat fast food gain less. But how are you going to get people to change their habits? You could eat a Chinese or Scandinavian or whatever diet and not get fat so long as you did not eat junk or fast food. If you are used to good, fresh food — cooked from scratch, junk and fast food won't taste good to you.
A liter a WEEK of olive oil? How do you consume that much?