Health

Does the Nordic Diet lower cholesterol and blood sugar?


To date, Nordic dietary research has mainly been concerned with the positive health effects of the diet after weight loss.

Researcher Lars Ove Dragsted explains: “It’s surprising because most people believe that the positive effects on blood sugar and cholesterol are solely due to weight loss. Here, we found that this was not the case. right, and is the head of the department at the Faculty of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports of the University of Copenhagen.

Together with researchers from Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland, Dragsted examined blood and urine samples from 200 people over the age of 50, all of whom had high BMIs and an increased risk of diabetes. sugar and heart. The participants were divided into two groups – one given food according to Nordic dietary recommendations and a control group on their habitual diet. After six months of follow-up, the results were clear.

“The group that followed the Nordic diet for six months became significantly healthier, with lower cholesterol levels, lower overall blood levels of both saturated and unsaturated fats, and good glucose regulation. We stayed the same. Lars Ove Dragsted explained that they ate more if they lost weight.

Fats make us healthy

Instead of just weight loss, researchers point to the unique fat composition of the Nordic diet as a possible explanation for the significant health benefits.

“By analyzing the participants’ blood, we were able to see that those who benefited the most from the dietary change had different fat-soluble substances than the control group. substances that appear to be related to the unsaturated fatty acids from the oils of the Nordic diet, an indication that fats in the Nordic diet may play the most important role for the health effects seen here, which I didn’t expect,” Lars Ove Dragsted said.

Fats in the Nordic diet come from fish, flaxseeds, sunflower and rapeseed, among other things. Overall, they form a very beneficial mix for the body, although researchers have yet to explain exactly why these fats seem to lower both blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

“We can only speculate as to why the change in fat composition would benefit our health so much. However, we can confirm that the absence of highly processed and low-fat foods saturated fats from animals have a very positive effect on us, so the fat component of the Nordic diet, which is higher in omega-3 and omega-6 unsaturated fats, probably a significant part of the explanation for the health effects we found from the Nordic diet, even when the weight of the participants remained constant,” concludes Lars Ove Dragsted.

The Truth About Nordic Nutritional Recommendations

The Nordic nutrition recommendations were adopted by dietary experts in 2012 and will be updated this year.

This diet is adapted to the Nordic countries: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Greenland, Faroe Islands and Iceland. The diet is based on locally produced ingredients and is therefore sustainable.

Recommended foods include vegetables such as peas, beans, cabbage, onions, and root vegetables, as well as fruit, including apples, pears, plums, and berries. Also recommended are nuts, seeds, whole grains, fish and shellfish, as well as vegetable oils made from rapeseed, sunflower or flaxseed. Finally, low-fat dairy products are also encouraged, as is a significantly smaller proportion of meat than is currently consumed.

The diet contributes to the supply of important fatty acids, minerals, vitamins and plant materials that have a positive impact on our health and, among other things, reduce the risk of blood clots, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as cardiovascular disease in general.

Weight loss associated with the Nordic diet

The researchers stress that weight loss, often a result of the Nordic diet, is still important for the diet’s overall health benefits.

“This study simply shows that it’s not just weight loss that leads to the benefits of this diet,” said Lars Ove Dragsted. The unique composition of fats also plays an important role.

Source: Eurekalert



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