The Mediterranean diet has once again been commended for its vast health benefits, as confirmed by a recent study. This diet, renowned for preventing cardiovascular incidents, enhancing immune function, and reducing oxidative stress, has also been proven to decelerate kidney deterioration. This particular advantage, previously recognized by the scientific community, has been demonstrated explicitly in individuals with Type-2 diabetes for the first time. Type-2 diabetes affects nearly 15% of the population in Spain, as reported by the Spanish Diabetes Society.
This revelation is among the key research findings of the University of Cordoba (UCO) and the Maimonides Institute for Biomedical Research (IMIBIC). The study has elucidated one of the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial impact of the Mediterranean diet on kidney health.
The research highlights the role of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), compounds with inflammatory and oxidizing properties that can accumulate in the body through diet or natural production. Particularly in diabetic patients who often face complications with kidney function, the challenge of eliminating these compounds leads to higher levels within the body.
The study, led by the Nutrigenomics and Metabolic Syndrome Group at IMIBIC, assessed the AGE levels in over 500 diabetic individuals. Over five years, it compared the effects of two healthful diets: the Mediterranean diet and a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. The findings revealed that those following the Mediterranean diet had significantly lower levels of these detrimental compounds, indicating an enhanced detoxification process that aids in eliminating such substances from the body.
While the link between AGEs and kidney disease was known, this study marks the first time a specific diet’s role in mitigating kidney function decline in diabetics has been demonstrated. According to the researchers, the Mediterranean diet is a potent strategy for managing these harmful compounds.
The study also touches upon the importance of cooking methods and the antioxidant properties of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) in contributing to the diet’s health benefits. Techniques typical of the Mediterranean diet, which involve longer, gentler cooking, produce fewer harmful substances than high-temperature, short-duration cooking.
This research is part of the Cordioprev study, a seven-year investigation involving over 1,000 heart disease patients. It compares the effects of a healthy, low-fat diet against a Mediterranean diet enriched with virgin olive oil. This groundbreaking work, which has received the National Gastronomy Award for Research and Innovation, was a collaborative effort by IMIBIC, UCO, and the Biomedical Research Centre in the Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN) under the leadership of Professor José López Miranda.
More information: Francisco M. Gutierrez-Mariscal et al, Reduction of circulating methylglyoxal levels by a Mediterranean diet is associated with preserved kidney function in patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease: From the CORDIOPREV randomized controlled trial, Diabetes & Metabolism Journal. DOI: 10.1016/j.diabet.2023.101503
Journal information: Diabetes & Metabolism Journal Provided by University of Córdoba
