Mediterranean green diet reduces liver disease non-alcoholic fat, show randomized trials

A Mediterranean green diet (MED) reduces intrahepatic fat more than other healthy diets and halves non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in half, according to a long-term clinical intervention trial. led by researchers Ben-Gurion University of Negev and his team of international colleagues.

The results were published in Gut, a leading international journal focusing on gastroenterology and hepatology.

“Our research team and other organizations over the past 20 years have proven through rigorous randomized trials that the Mediterranean diet is the healthiest,” said lead researcher Dr. Iris Shai, an epidemiologist in the BGU School of Public Health who is also an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard School of Public Health TH Chan.

“Now, we’ve updated that diet and found elements that can make dramatic changes in hepatic fat and other key health factors.” Other Harvard researchers are Profs. Meir Stampfer and Frank Hu, chair of the Nutrition Department at Chan School.

NAFLD affects 25% to 30% of people in the United States and Europe. While there is a small amount of normal fat in the liver, too much fat (5% or higher) leads to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular risk, as well as a variety of gut microbes and measles. -microbial balance. Since no drug is currently available for the treatment of fatty liver, the only intervention is weight loss and reduction of alcohol consumption.

This nutritional MRI clinical trial (known as Direct-Plus), led by an international research team led by Professor Shai is the first to develop and test a new Green- terrestrial. This modified MED diet is full of vegetables, including walnuts (28 grams) per day, and less processed and red meat.

It is enriched with green ingredients, high in polyphenols, contains three to four cups of green tea / day and 100 grams (frozen cubes / day) of Mankai green tea. Mankai, an aquatic green plant also known as duck, is high in bioavailable proteins, iron, B12, vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols.

Treatment of this common liver disease with targeted lifestyle intervention may lead to a more effective nutrition strategy. This clinical trial demonstrates an effective nutritional tool for NAFLD beyond weight loss. “

Anat Yaskolka-Meir, First Author Study and Member of the BGU School of Public Health, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

This 18-month DIRECT-PLUS trial began in 2017 at the Negev Nuclear Research Center in Dimona, Israel, when 294 employees in their fifties with abdominal obesity were randomly divided into three groups: diet regimen healthy, Mediterranean diet, and Mediterranean green diet.

In addition to the diet, all participants were provided with a physical exercise schedule with free gym membership. Participants underwent MRI scans to measure the true proportion of excess intrahepatic fat before and after the test.

The results showed that there was a reduction in fat in all diets. However, the MED green diet provided the greatest reduction in hepatic fat (3939%), compared to the traditional Mediterranean diet (2020%) and the healthy diet guideline (1212%). The results were important after adjusting for weight loss.

Overall, the MED green diet resulted in significant reductions in fatty liver. NAFLD frequency fell from 62% at baseline to 31.5% in the Mediterranean green group, down to 47.9% in the Mediterranean group, and 54.8% in the healthy diet regimen group.

In particular, Mankai and walnut had less association with less red meat / processing with IHF loss rate, after controlling for other variables. Plasma polyphenol levels were significantly higher at all MED groups.

More specific polyphenols, found in walnuts and Mankai, were found in the green MED group. The researchers consider the effects of polyphenols and the reduction in red meat plays a role in the reduction of liver fat.