Past research studies have confirmed the healthy benefits of consuming a traditional Mediterranean style diet. Researchers have demonstrated that this type of diet consisting of healthy quantities of extra virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds, fruits and leafy greens and largely void of excess calories from animal protein is beneficial in the prevention of developing heart disease, diabetes, stroke and dementia. Mediterranean-style foods are packed with antioxidants that aid cellular function and polyphenol-rich olive oil, shown to lower systemic inflammation and risk from many chronic diseases.
As people age, many suffer from reduced bone mass, as years of a poor diet causes excessive leaching of calcium from the bone. This leads to osteoporosis and a significantly increased risk of bone fractures, as well as a regimen of deadly pharmaceuticals so commonly prescribed by allopathic practitioners in a vain attempt to preserve remaining bone strength.
Researchers publishing in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM) have now shown that going on a two year Mediterranean style diet enhanced with olive oil can increase serum osteocalin concentrations, providing a protective shield against future bone loss. The lead study author, Dr. Jose Manuel Fernandez-Real commented "This is the first randomized study which demonstrates that olive oil preserves bone, at least as inferred by circulating bone markers, in humans."
A Mediterranean diet with plentiful extra virgin olive oil promotes bone health in seniorsResearchers from Spain randomly selected 127 men, aged between 55 and 80 years who had lived in the community for a lengthy period of time. The elderly volunteers had never been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, but were diabetic and exhibited risk factors for heart disease such as family history, hypertension and dyslipidemia. Based on diet, each was assigned to a different intervention group based on consuming a low fat diet, a Mediterranean diet with virgin olive oil, or a Mediterranean diet including mixed nuts.
The team reviewed critical biomarkers (glucose, osteocalcin, cholesterol, triglycerides) at baseline and again after two years to determine the effect of the Mediterranean diet on overall health. The measurements revealed that the Mediterranean diet with olive oil resulted in a large rise in the concentrations of total osteocalcin, as well as other bone-formation factors. Of equal importance, blood calcium levels in the Mediterranean group with olive oil remained constant, but declined significantly in the other two sub-groups.
Dr. Fernandez-Real concluded "It's important to note that circulating osteocalcin was associated with preserved insulin secretion in subjects taking olive oil." Based on extensive research over the past 20 years, there should be little doubt that a diet consisting of nuts, seeds, fruits and a generous serving of extra virgin olive oil can preserve health and support normal bone health as we age.
