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Mediterranean Diet Health Warning: More Harm Than Good?
Dante_80
Posts: 479 Member
Posting an interesting study I found.
Mediterranean Diet Health Warning: More Harm Than Good – Unless Organic
https://greekcitytimes.com/2021/11/06/mediterranean-diet-health-warning-more-harm-than-good-unless-organic/
New research offers alarming warnings, suggesting that pesticides and contaminants found on the produce and whole grains that are so prevalent in the Mediterranean diet may be doing your body more harm than good.
Instead of providing the health benefits that the Mediterranean diet is so famed for, the study instead shows that switching from an ordinary “Western” diet to a traditional Mediterranean diet may triple one’s intake of environmental contaminants, thereby resulting in a weakening of the human immune system, reduction of fertility, and even stunting the growth and development of children.
Several of the environmental contaminants discovered as a result of the study may even affect hormones in the body.
“Many of the synthetic pesticides detected in both food and urine samples in this study are confirmed or suspected endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC). The 10 times higher pesticide exposure from conventional foods may therefore provide a mechanistic explanation for the lower incidence of overweight/obesity, metabolic syndrome and cancer associated with high levels of organic food consumption in epidemiological/cohort studies,” explains Professor Carlo Leifert, Study Project Manager.
Unless, of course, everything in the Mediterranean diet is farmed organically, in which case slashes the intake of these contaminants by 90 percent.
In the study, conducted by a team of scientists at the University of Oslo, participants ate “ordinary Western foods” for a week prior to the study commencement. The participants then provided urine samples before all heading off to a farm on the Greek Island of Crete for two weeks.
Once in Crete, the group was divided into two – one half eating food cultivated normally, whilst the other half consumed totally organic produce only.
“There is growing evidence from observational studies that the health benefits of increasing fruit, vegetables and whole grain consumption are partially diminished by the higher pesticide exposure associated with these foods. Our study demonstrates that consumption of organic foods allows consumers to change to a healthier diet, without an increased intake of pesticides,” the study team from the University of Oslo concludes.
However given the small size of the 27-participant-strong study, researchers say it is still too early for health officials to start advising against the Mediterranean diet, believing that more research is necessary to confirm the findings.
Regardless, Mediterranean diet lovers may be wise to take note. If you’re not going organic, you may be doing your body more harm than good.
“This study provides clear evidence that both our diet and the way we produce food may affect the level of exposure to synthetic chemical and ultimately our health,” says Newcastle University’s Professor Chris Seal.
Mediterranean Diet Health Warning: More Harm Than Good – Unless Organic
https://greekcitytimes.com/2021/11/06/mediterranean-diet-health-warning-more-harm-than-good-unless-organic/
New research offers alarming warnings, suggesting that pesticides and contaminants found on the produce and whole grains that are so prevalent in the Mediterranean diet may be doing your body more harm than good.
Instead of providing the health benefits that the Mediterranean diet is so famed for, the study instead shows that switching from an ordinary “Western” diet to a traditional Mediterranean diet may triple one’s intake of environmental contaminants, thereby resulting in a weakening of the human immune system, reduction of fertility, and even stunting the growth and development of children.
Several of the environmental contaminants discovered as a result of the study may even affect hormones in the body.
“Many of the synthetic pesticides detected in both food and urine samples in this study are confirmed or suspected endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC). The 10 times higher pesticide exposure from conventional foods may therefore provide a mechanistic explanation for the lower incidence of overweight/obesity, metabolic syndrome and cancer associated with high levels of organic food consumption in epidemiological/cohort studies,” explains Professor Carlo Leifert, Study Project Manager.
Unless, of course, everything in the Mediterranean diet is farmed organically, in which case slashes the intake of these contaminants by 90 percent.
In the study, conducted by a team of scientists at the University of Oslo, participants ate “ordinary Western foods” for a week prior to the study commencement. The participants then provided urine samples before all heading off to a farm on the Greek Island of Crete for two weeks.
Once in Crete, the group was divided into two – one half eating food cultivated normally, whilst the other half consumed totally organic produce only.
“There is growing evidence from observational studies that the health benefits of increasing fruit, vegetables and whole grain consumption are partially diminished by the higher pesticide exposure associated with these foods. Our study demonstrates that consumption of organic foods allows consumers to change to a healthier diet, without an increased intake of pesticides,” the study team from the University of Oslo concludes.
However given the small size of the 27-participant-strong study, researchers say it is still too early for health officials to start advising against the Mediterranean diet, believing that more research is necessary to confirm the findings.
Regardless, Mediterranean diet lovers may be wise to take note. If you’re not going organic, you may be doing your body more harm than good.
“This study provides clear evidence that both our diet and the way we produce food may affect the level of exposure to synthetic chemical and ultimately our health,” says Newcastle University’s Professor Chris Seal.
4
Replies
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The study from the article.
Diet and food type affect urinary pesticide residue excretion profiles in healthy individuals: results of a randomized controlled dietary intervention trial
While the size is small, the interesting part is that the trial was very strictly monitored and didn't rely on self-reporting but on a set nutrition while living in a camp.
Background
Observational studies have linked pesticide exposure to various diseases, whereas organic food consumption has been associated with positive health outcomes. Organic farming standards prohibit the use of most pesticides, and organic food consumption may therefore reduce pesticide exposure.
Objectives
To determine the effects of diet (Western compared with Mediterranean) and food type (conventional compared with organic) and sex on urinary pesticide residue excretion (UPRE), as well as associations between specific diet components and UPRE.
Methods
In this 2-wk, randomized dietary intervention trial, healthy adults were randomly allocated to an intervention (n = 13) or conventional (n = 14) group. Whereas participants in the intervention group consumed a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) made entirely from organic foods, the conventional group consumed a MedDiet made entirely from conventional foods. Both groups consumed habitual Western diets made from conventional foods before and after the 2-wk intervention period. The primary outcome was UPRE. In addition, we assessed diet composition and pesticide residue profiles in foods eaten. Participants were aware of group assignment, but the study assessors were not.
Results
During the intervention period, total UPRE was 91% lower with organic (mean 17 μg/d; 95% CI: 15, 19) than with conventional (mean 180 μg/d; 95% CI: 153, 208) food consumption (P < 0.0001). In the conventional group, switching from the habitual Western diet to the MedDiet increased insecticide excretion from 7 to 25 μg/d (P < 0.0001), organophosphate excretion from 5 to 19 μg/d (P < 0.0001), and pyrethroid residue excretion from 2.0 to 4.5 μg/d (P < 0.0001). Small but significant effects of sex were detected for chlormequat, herbicide, and total pesticide residue excretion.
Conclusions
Changing from a habitual Western diet to a MedDiet was associated with increased insecticide, organophosphate, and pyrethroid exposure, whereas organic food consumption reduced exposure to all groups of synthetic chemical pesticides. This may explain the positive health outcomes linked to organic food consumption in observational studies. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03254537.2 -
A diet of strictly organic origin will best most if not all conventional diets and look, it's even better than the conventional Mediterranean diet. What both diets were exactly composed of would have been good considering the food was administered in a camp setting just for comparison purposes. Basically it would have been interesting to see what these professors think a "conventional" western diet consisted of, which was apparently lower in pesticides than the standard Med diet. Also the participants were privy to which diet they were consuming and I suspect it was because the obvious was just too obvious and if your comparing to observational studies, like this one appears to be doing then the outcome is biased and somehow I get the feeling this isn't peer reviewed. Nice to get paid for research with an outcome that was pretty much a given. A great example of liver function too. Cheers3
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So much BS.4
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Well, according to the link for another article at the bottom of this one, apparently the Mediterranean diet improves erectile dysfunction. So, maybe your risk for cancer increases but you can still get it up
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Seriously though, what other thing that is supposed to be "good" for us are "scientists" going to find is actually "bad" for us? Isn't that how it always works? I think we already know that eating stuff full of pesticide residue isn't great for us, but is eating all manmade ultra-processed foods really better?2 -
Speakeasy76 wrote: »Well, according to the link for another article at the bottom of this one, apparently the Mediterranean diet improves erectile dysfunction. So, maybe your risk for cancer increases but you can still get it up .
Seriously though, what other thing that is supposed to be "good" for us are "scientists" going to find is actually "bad" for us? Isn't that how it always works? I think we already know that eating stuff full of pesticide residue isn't great for us, but is eating all manmade ultra-processed foods really better?
Also the EU have very strict laws on the amount of pesticides allowed into the food supply. Not sure what they are but a 90% increase is still within these guidelines, so the low threshold is adequate enough to allow the alternative foods to be served. Yes organic is better, we knew that.3 -
"Changing from a habitual Western diet to a MedDiet was associated with increased insecticide, organophosphate, and pyrethroid exposure,"
Why would there be less pesticides in a "western" diet than a mediterranian diet?9 -
I think the assumption is that the much higher percentage of fruits, grains and vegetables in the Med diet can lead to an overall higher (relatively speaking of course) insecticide, organophosphate, and pyrethroid exposure? It wouldn't be that weird, if they are simply focusing on those specific markers in the urine.
Of course, to gauge that properly we would need to know what the "habitual Western diet" that was used as a control consists of.1 -
I would have thought that what one considers a "typical western diet" would be fairly heavy on grains - just more processed grains. And soy is in so much processed food and animal feed - I always thought soy was heavy on the pesticides.
I wonder what diet they were actually using for comparison.2 -
I would have thought that what one considers a "typical western diet" would be fairly heavy on grains - just more processed grains. And soy is in so much processed food and animal feed - I always thought soy was heavy on the pesticides.
I wonder what diet they were actually using for comparison.
Not to mention phthalates, which are loaded in processed foods and fast foods but nearly eliminated in the Mediterranean Diet.
Look, I eat a very Mediterranean based diet. My wife has Fibromyalgia and, as a result, MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity). Because of that, more than for myself, I try to buy organic when it's reasonable. Most of the Round-Up, something she seems incredibly sensitive to -- I think more for how it impacts her Microbiome than anything -- is in grains, legumes and mint. If you stick to organic grains, beans, mint and stay away from some of the "dirty dozen" in the produce aisle, you're doing pretty good.
Fry's/Kroger's has store Organic beans for $1 a can. That's cheap. I'm celiac so we actually don't eat any wheat (also loaded with chemicals). Organic, sprouted bread isn't that expensive now, BTW. Kale, at least at Fry's, is only available in Organic. I only buy grapes or berries organic on sale, otherwise I buy regular. It's not hard to buy organic rice, quinoa and other grains organic. I get large bags of Organic Gluten free oatmeal online, for not much more than Quaker in a store. And not using much (or any) vegetable oil eliminates a lot of Round-Up in your diet. Costco usually has Organic Olive Oil for $1 more than the regular one. And sometimes, it's on sale and actually cheaper. We also only use organic sugar in very limited quantities. Aside from Thanksgiving and a few things at X-mas and B-day cakes, we don't eat it. 5 lbs lasts year for us (again at Costco, it's cheap).
Eliminating heavily processed convenience foods is the very best way to avoid chemicals. That IS the Western Diet now, so I take this article with a grain of salt. Seems very, very biased and inaccurate to me.
One thing that people don't realize about a real, traditional Mediterranean Diet is it's mostly artisan goat and sheep cheese too, not Kraft cheese for sure! Eliminating the American cheeses that are huge factory produced also eliminates a lot of chemicals as well, particularly the phthalates.7 -
I would have thought that what one considers a "typical western diet" would be fairly heavy on grains - just more processed grains. And soy is in so much processed food and animal feed - I always thought soy was heavy on the pesticides.
I wonder what diet they were actually using for comparison.
"The study was carried out with 27 post-graduate students during an agricultural field course in Crete, Greece and lasted five weeks. The 14 in the conventional group consumed a Mediterranean diet made entirely from conventional foods, while the intervention group consumed the same diet made entirely from certified organic foods. Before and after the intervention period all participants consumed their self-selected habitual Western diets, which according to their food diaries were low in fruit, vegetables and wine consumption and consisted entirely of conventional foods."
I don't know what a normal self-selected Western diet for post grads at U of Oslo, other than I guess low in fruit, veg, and wine.2 -
I would have thought that what one considers a "typical western diet" would be fairly heavy on grains - just more processed grains. And soy is in so much processed food and animal feed - I always thought soy was heavy on the pesticides.
I wonder what diet they were actually using for comparison.
"The study was carried out with 27 post-graduate students during an agricultural field course in Crete, Greece and lasted five weeks. The 14 in the conventional group consumed a Mediterranean diet made entirely from conventional foods, while the intervention group consumed the same diet made entirely from certified organic foods. Before and after the intervention period all participants consumed their self-selected habitual Western diets, which according to their food diaries were low in fruit, vegetables and wine consumption and consisted entirely of conventional foods."
I don't know what a normal self-selected Western diet for post grads at U of Oslo, other than I guess low in fruit, veg, and wine.
It's more complicated. The post grads weren't from the university of Oslo, only the researchers. The post grads were from a UK university (but I can't remember which one and I don't seem to be able to access the article anymore).0
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