Why is abdominal obesity so dangerous - and what can be done about it?
(Walla system)
A "green" Mediterranean diet can help people shed twice as much belly fat as a standard version of the healthy diet.
Researchers from Ben Gurion University of the Negev say that changing this popular diet that cuts out red meat and increases antioxidant intake makes the Mediterranean diet better at removing this harmful form of fat.
The researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in collaboration with the Nuclear Research Center in Dimona, Soroka Hospital and experts from Harvard University in the USA and Leipzig in Germany tested different types of diets on a research group of almost 300 participants and discovered that a green Mediterranean diet (rich in polyphenols) is low in carbohydrates and low in meat Red and in combination with moderate physical activity, doubles the reduction in intra-abdominal fat.
The team of researchers whose research was published in the journal BMC Medicine say that belly fat is the real problem when it comes to health and weight loss.
This type of fat builds up around the internal organs and is incredibly difficult to get rid of.
It also produces hormones and other toxins that have been linked to heart disease, diabetes and early death.
choose right.
Buddha Bull Salmon (Photo: Alon Mesika)
Professor Iris Shay and her team of researchers modified the standard Mediterranean diet - which usually includes large amounts of olive oil, fish, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and a minimal amount of red meat.
In addition to 28 grams of walnuts daily, participants consumed three to four cups of green tea and 100 grams of green smoothie every day for 18 months.
In an intensive experiment that lasted for a year and a half, the researchers used MRI technology to accurately assess the changes in fat stores, the effect of three different treatments among the participants, all of whom were workers at the Dimona nuclear reactor suffering from abdominal obesity.
The first treatment consisted of a healthy diet with basic nutritional guidelines and physical activity, the second treatment consisted of a classic Mediterranean diet with reduced carbohydrates and physical activity and the third treatment consisted of a green Mediterranean diet doubled in the amount of polyphenols (from green plants) with moderate physical activity, reduced carbohydrates, and low meat red/processed.
"dramatic achievement"
The results show that following a greener version of the Mediterranean diet reduced abdominal fat by 14 percent, compared to seven percent for those who ate a standard Mediterranean diet.
Participants who stuck to a normal, healthy diet lost only 4.5 percent of their abdominal fat.
"A healthy lifestyle is the solid foundation for any course of weight loss. We learned from the results of the experiment that the quality of the food is just as important as the total number of calories consumed and the goal in the future is to understand the mechanisms of influence of various molecules, such as polyphenols - positively, and unnecessary carbohydrates and red and processed meat - negatively, on the rate The differentiation of the fat cells and their storage in the deep intra-abdominal fat tissue and in other toxic reservoirs," said Prof. Iris Shay.
Dr. Hila Zelicha Far, her partner in the study adds and concludes: "Reducing 14% of the total intra-abdominal fat is a dramatic achievement while taking simple measures to change the lifestyle only and that weight loss is an important goal but only if it is accompanied by impressive results in reducing dangerous fat stores ".
health
Tags
Mediterranean diet
diet
Antioxidants
meat
diet
Ben-Gurion University
