Mediterranean Diet Lowers Diabetes Risk, Study Says

There is no doubt that following the Mediterranean diet eating pattern has numerous health benefits. It’s been associated with lower inflammation in the body and reduced cancer and heart disease risk. It’s also been shown to support a healthy pregnancy by reducing the risk of preeclampsia, a condition where a pregnant person’s blood pressure rises to potentially dangerous levels (among other things). Following the Mediterranean diet might even save you money on your groceries (and who couldn’t use that!).

A new study published on October 23, in Nutrition Journal, suggests there’s another benefit to following the Mediterranean diet. Let’s see what they found. 

How Was This Study Conducted & What Did It Show?

Most studies on the Mediterranean diet have been conducted in Mediterranean countries. These researchers wanted to see if this eating pattern benefited people in non-Mediterranean regions. Specifically, researchers wanted to see if people who lived in China who followed a Mediterranean diet eating pattern had a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. 

For this study, researchers drew data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). The CHNS is an ongoing national study in China that began in 1989, with follow-ups every two to four years. For this study, researchers chose 12,575 participants to be a part of the data set. Participants had an average age of 43, and just over half of them were female. 

All participants completed dietary intake questionnaires for three consecutive days—two weekdays and one weekend day (because sometimes we eat differently on the weekend). Researchers then used a Mediterranean diet adherence (MDA) scale to score participants’ diets. The foods that were assessed and scored included vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, cereals, fish, dairy products, meat and alcohol. 

Demographic information was collected that included things like age, BMI, physical activity, smoking status, socioeconomic status, education level, occupation and the region of China they lived in. Researchers were also looking for how many participants were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes during the study period. 

After several statistical analyses were run, including adjustment for the collected demographic information, researchers found an inverse relationship between the Mediterranean diet and diabetes. In other words, those with a higher Mediterranean diet score were less likely to get diabetes by 17%.

Since foods were scored separately, researchers were able to further refine which ones had the greatest impact. In this case, they found higher fruit, fish and nut intake was significantly associated with a lower risk of new-onset diabetes.  

How Does This Apply to Real Life?

Diabetes has been on the rise worldwide for years and it isn’t expected to slow down. As of 2021, over half a billion people worldwide are living with type 2 diabetes—that’s 10.5% of the current population around the globe. In the U.S. alone, about 38.4 million people are living with diabetes—about 11.6% of the total population.

And diabetes is costly. Diabetes-related health expenditures currently average around $966 billion worldwide and are projected to top $1 trillion by 2045.

So it’s clear that something has got to change—and it could start with what we’re eating.

But changing eating habits is not necessarily an easy thing. Many factors come into play, including budget, accessibility and food preferences. And if you’re feeding a family, all those factors are magnified. 

There are some small ways to begin to change what you’re eating, though. While many focus on what they can’t eat, pivot your mindset to focus on what you can. And instead of thinking about taking food away, think more about “adding” and “replacing.”  

For example, this study suggested that fruit, fish and nuts had the greatest impact on diabetes risk. Are you including any of these foods in your diet now? If not, start with one of them and begin to add a serving a day into your meals or snacks. The easier you make it, the more quickly it will become a habit for you. Let’s take nuts as an example. You could add nuts to your morning oatmeal, toss some into your rice bowl or pair them with dark chocolate. Oh, and nut butter—like peanut butter and almond butter—counts too. The same goes for fruit. Berries in your cereal, mandarin oranges or pineapple in your rice bowl, or banana with dark chocolate. Yes, please!

Fish doesn’t have to be boring either. Pick a new fish or seafood recipe to try each week. Try Grilled Fish Tacos for Taco Tuesday next week. Toss scallops or shrimp with your favorite pasta and pesto. Or make a nostalgic tuna noodle casserole. 

Buying frozen or canned fruit and fish can also save you money—and it’s just as healthy as fresh (sometimes more so). Just beware of added sugars in canned fruit—try to get it in 100% fruit juice instead of in syrup made with added sugar. 

Of course, you don’t want to live on just fruit, nuts and fish. It’s important to eat a varied diet that also includes other forms of lean protein—like poultry and lean cuts of pork and beef— vegetables, whole grains and legumes, so that you get a wide variety of nutrients. Getting in some servings of dairy can also provide essential nutrients, like protein and calcium. 

The Bottom Line

This study suggests that the Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of diabetes in people from non-Mediterranean regions. Assess what foods from the Mediterranean diet you could be eating more of and begin adding them to your meals and snacks. Other habits that influence diabetes risk include physical activity, sleep and stress. But don’t get more stressed out trying to work on all these habits at once. Start with one or two, assess where you’re currently at with them and gradually begin to improve in those areas. Over time, small steps become big changes and reap many benefits.