Women double fruit, veggie intake with switch to Mediterranean diet plan

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Public release date: 17-Dec-2008

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-12/uomh-wdf121708.php

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kgazella@...

University of Michigan Health System

Women double fruit, veggie intake with switch to Mediterranean diet plan

Consumption of 'good' fats also increases in study

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In a new study led by the University of Michigan

Health System, women more than doubled their fruit and vegetable intakes

and dramatically increased their consumption of " good " fats when they

were counseled by registered dietitians and provided with a list of

guidelines on the amount of certain foods they should eat each day.

The six-month study of 69 women divided the participants into two

groups. In one group, registered dietitians used an " exchange list " of

foods that are common in a Mediterranean diet to make a plan for each

participant. The new plan maintained the caloric and total fat intakes

that the participants consumed at the beginning of the study.

The list included suggested servings, or exchanges, of several

categories of foods—such as dark green vegetables, such as spinach, or

high-monounsaturated fats, such olive oil. The dietitians also provided

counseling on the telephone to help the participants to make the dietary

changes, as well as in-person sessions at the start of the study and

three months later.

Women in the comparison group continued their usual diet and did not

receive any dietary counseling, though they were offered one free

dietary counseling session after they completed their part in the study.

If their intake of any vitamin or mineral was less than two-thirds of

the recommended levels, they were given a list of foods that are rich in

that nutrient. They also were given the National Cancer Institute's

" Action Guide to Healthy Eating. "

Researchers found that the group that followed the exchange-list plan

reached the goals of the Mediterranean diet within three months, and

maintained the change for the six-month duration of the study. But the

comparison group that did not use the exchange list or receive dietary

counseling made few dietary changes.

" That tells us that the exchange list was helpful in assisting women to

make major changes in their diet, without changes in their caloric or

total fat intake, " says lead author Zora Djuric, Ph.D., research

professor of Family Medicine at the U-M Medical School. The study

appears in the December issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic

Association.

Djuric—a member of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center—is also leading a

study called Healthy Eating for Colon Cancer Prevention, in which she

and colleagues are examining whether a Mediterranean diet can have

preventive effects in the colon in persons at increased colon cancer

risk. The diet used in the newly published study also should be

applicable to prevention of many cancers, such as , breast cancer,

Djuric says. More information on the current study, and how to

participate in it, can be found at the University of Mcihigan Engage Web

site.

Mediterranean diets have been associated with health benefits such as

lower risks for cardiovascular disease and cancer, Djuric notes. Recent

studies also have suggested that such a diet can increase longevity, but

this data is from observational studies of Europeans who followed a

traditional Mediterranean dietary pattern. The new research is the first

time a method has been devised to achieve the major Mediterranean

nutrient intakes using American foods, and American women were able to

follow this diet.

Eating patterns in Greece and other Mediterranean countries

traditionally have been high in monounsaturated fats, compared with the

saturated fats and polyunsaturated fats that are more common in the

United States. The Mediterranean diet is also rich in fruits and vegetables.

In this new study, specific suggestions in the exchange list included:

* 8-10 servings (or exchanges) each day of high monounsaturated

fatty acid (MUFA), such as olive or hazelnut oil, avocado and macadamia nuts

* Limits on fats that are low in MUFA, such as corn oil, margarine,

tahini, pine nuts and sesame seeds.

* One or more servings a day of dark green vegetables, such as

broccoli, peas and spinach

* At least one exchange per day of garlic, onions and leeks

* One tablespoon or more per day of green herbs, such as basil,

cilantro, peppermint and sage

* One or more servings a day of red vegetables, such as tomatoes,

tomato sauce and salsa

* One or more servings a day of yellow or orange vegetables, such

as carrots, red bell peppers and pumpkin

* One or more servings a day of other vegetables, such as

artichokes, cucumber, green beans and sugar snap peas

* One or more servings a day of vitamin C fruits, such as oranges,

mangoes and strawberries

* One or more servings a day of other fruits, such as apples,

bananas and grapes

###

Authors: In addition to Djuric, authors of the paper were: senior author

Ananda Sen, Ph.D., associate professor at the U-M Department of Family

Medicine; Glee van Loon, R.D., who was a research dietitian at U-M; and

from the Karmanos Cancer Institute: Radakovich, M.D., R.D.,

Nora M. Di, M.S., R.D., and Lance K. Heilbrun, Ph.D.

Funding: American Institute for Cancer Research; National Institutes of

Health Cancer Center Support Grants; and the chemistry laboratory of the

Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center and the General Clinical

Research Center at U-M.

Reference: Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Dec. 2008, Vol.

108 Number 12, " Design of a Mediterranean Exchange List Diet Implemented

by Telephone Counseling. "

--

ne Holden, MS, RD

" Ask the Parkinson Dietitian " http://www.parkinson.org/

" Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease "

" Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy "

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