Mediterranean Diet For Diabetes: Is It Effective In 2024?
Updated on
- Written by Sevginur Akdas, RD
Medically reviewed by
Kathy Shattler, MS, RDN
When discussing the best lifestyle treatment for diabetes and related chronic diseases, we must discuss the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet for diabetes can be game-changing for disease development and treatment. Let’s answer these important questions: “Is the Mediterranean diet good for diabetes and why?”
Is The Mediterranean Diet Good For Diabetes?
Yes, the Mediterranean diet is one of the best dietary approaches for people with diabetes due to its emphasis on improving the gut microbiome, stabilizing blood sugar levels, improving heart health, and managing your weight. The Mediterranean diet offers several benefits for people with diabetes, such as a rich dietary fiber content, healthy unsaturated fats, high-quality protein, complex carbohydrates, and high vitamin and mineral levels.
This nutrition profile leads to better blood sugar management and insulin levels. Keeping blood sugar and insulin in a healthy range are key points of every diabetes treatment plan. And the Mediterranean diet is known as one of the most powerful approaches to doing just that.
What Is The Mediterranean Diet?
The Mediterranean diet[1] is a dietary pattern inspired by the eating habits of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, such as Italy, Spain, Greece, and Turkey. This diet emphasizes fresh, unprocessed foods and discourages the intake of refined grains, processed meats, sugary beverages, and unhealthy fats.
How Can The Mediterranean Diet Help You Manage Diabetes?
The Mediterranean diet has gained significant attention for its potential benefits in managing various health conditions, like improved cardiovascular health and alleviating diabetes symptoms. Several studies have suggested that adopting this dietary pattern can be beneficial for diabetes or those at risk.[2]
One of the primary reasons the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for diabetes management is its emphasis on whole plant-based foods and food diversity[3] while avoiding processed and refined products. This approach helps stabilize blood sugar levels and reduces the risk of insulin resistance, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes. The diet’s focus on fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains also aids in regulating blood glucose levels.
Moreover, the Mediterranean diet promotes the consumption of healthy fats, such as olive oil and fatty fish, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These fats have been associated with improved insulin sensitivity and reduced inflammation,[4] both essential in diabetes management.
Also, these healthy eating habits can help people with diabetes to lose weight. As it is established in previous studies, losing weight is beneficial to reduce side effects[5] of diabetes such as high blood pressure, impaired lipid profile, heart disease and etc.
Furthermore, the Mediterranean diet enhances the gut microbiome in those with diabetes,[6] leading to better blood sugar control,[7] decreased heart disease risk,[8] and decreased frailty in older people.[9]
Mediterranean Diet For Prediabetes
Prediabetes[10] is a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than healthy blood sugar levels but not yet at the level of diabetes. Adopting a Mediterranean diet can be particularly beneficial for individuals with prediabetes as it helps prevent or delay the progression to type 2 diabetes.
Mediterranean Diet Food Options For Diabetes
The Mediterranean-style diet offers a wide range of food options[3] that are suitable for managing diabetes. Here are some diabetes superfoods to help improve blood sugar control characteristics of the Mediterranean diet:
- Fruits and vegetables: Include a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables in your meals and snacks to provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
- Whole grains: The Mediterrenean diet includes complex carbohydrate sources such as whole grain bread. You can choose whole wheat, brown rice, and quinoa instead of refined grains since these have a lower glycemic index and provide more nutrients and fiber.
- Legumes: Incorporate legumes like lentils, chickpeas, and beans into your diet. They are rich in fiber, protein, and complex carbohydrates, which help regulate blood sugar levels.
- Healthy fats: You can choose sources of healthy fats, such as olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds. These fats provide essential nutrients and help control blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
- Fish and lean proteins: You can consume animal based foods specially fish like salmon, sardines, and tuna, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids. It is important to add lean proteins like poultry and eggs.
- Moderate dairy consumption: It is beneficial to consume moderate amounts of low-fat dairy products like low-fat milk, low-fat yogurts and lower fat cheese choices such as mozzarella.
- Limit added sugars: You should minimize the intake of sugary beverages, sweets, and processed foods that contain added sugars and sugar substitutes.
Tips For Thriving On The Mediterranean Diet With Diabetes
- Seek professional guidance: Consult a registered dietitian or healthcare professional who specializes in diabetes education for personalized advice and support.
- Embrace variety: Explore the wide range of Mediterranean diet foods allowed to keep meals exciting and enjoyable. This variety of healthy foods also provides various nutrients limiting the need for additional multivitamins for people with diabetes.
- Limit processed foods and snacks: Minimize intake of processed and packaged foods that can be high in added sugars and foods containing unhealthy saturated fat. It is easy to prepare healthy snacks for people with diabetes while following the Mediterrenean diet.
- Practice mindful eating: Pay attention to hunger and fullness cues, and eat slowly to savor and enjoy your meals.
- Be consistent: Aim to make the Mediterranean diet a long-term lifestyle change rather than a short-term solution. If it helps you can use diabetes management apps to stay motivated and in control. If you use diet meal replacements habitually, integrate these into your diet by including the macronutrients into your daily nutrient and energy calculations.
Other Diets For Diabetes Prevention
While the Mediterranean diet has demonstrated promising results in diabetes management, there are other dietary approaches that can help prevent the onset of the disease.
Keto Diet
One such diet is the ketogenic diet, or keto diet, which involves consuming a high-fat, low-carbohydrate, and moderate-protein diet.
The keto diet for diabetes strives to induce a metabolic state called ketosis, where the body relies on fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. Some studies suggest that the keto diet may improve insulin sensitivity, lead to better blood sugar control and aid in weight loss, which are beneficial for diabetes prevention.[11]
However, it is important to note that the long-term effects and safety of the keto diet for diabetes management are still being studied, and it may not be suitable for everyone.
Plant-Based Diet
Plant-based diets,[12] such as vegetarian or vegan diets, focus on consuming mainly plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, very similar to the Mediterrenean diet. These diets tend to be high in fiber, low in saturated fats, and can aid in weight management and blood sugar management.
Paleo Diet
The paleo diet is based on the types of foods presumed to have been consumed by early humans, including lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. It avoids processed foods, grains, legumes, sugar substitutes, sugar, alcohol, and dairy. While research on its long-term effects is limited, some studies suggest it may improve[13] insulin sensitivity and aid in weight loss.
Summary
The Mediterranean diet is a well-balanced dietary pattern that promotes the consumption of whole, unprocessed foods, while limiting refined products and unhealthy fats. This diet can be beneficial for individuals with diabetes or those at risk of developing the disease by helping regulate blood sugar levels, improving insulin sensitivity, and reducing inflammation.
The Mediterranean diet not only prioritizes nutrients essential for good health but also offers delicious flavors that appeal to the taste buds. It combines these two essentials, which are key to a sustainable diet, providing a diet that is both nutritious and enjoyable to follow.
+ 13 sources
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- Davis, C., Bryan, J., Hodgson, J.M. and Murphy, K.J. (2015). Definition of the Mediterranean Diet; A Literature Review. [online] 7(11), pp.9139–9153. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu7115459.
- Martín-Peláez, S., Montserrat Fitó and Castañer, O. (2020). Mediterranean Diet Effects on Type 2 Diabetes Prevention, Disease Progression, and Related Mechanisms. A Review. [online] 12(8), pp.2236–2236. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082236.
- Mazzocchi, A., Leone, L., Agostoni, C. and Pali-Schöll, I. (2019). The Secrets of the Mediterranean Diet. Does [Only] Olive Oil Matter? [online] 11(12), pp.2941–2941. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11122941.
- DiNicolantonio JJ;O’Keefe JH (2017). Good Fats versus Bad Fats: A Comparison of Fatty Acids in the Promotion of Insulin Resistance, Inflammation, and Obesity. Missouri medicine, [online] 114(4). Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30228616/
- Faidon Magkos, Anahita Ataran, Javaheri, A. and Mittendorfer, B. (2023). Effect of dietary carbohydrate restriction on cardiometabolic function in type 2 diabetes: weight loss and beyond. [online] 26(4), pp.330–333. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/mco.0000000000000946.
- Ben Zhong Tang, Qi, Q., Wang, Z., Mykhaylo Usyk, Sotres-Alvarez, D., Champagne, C.M., Tamez, M., Gellman, M.D., Daviglus, M.L., Hu, F.B., Stampfer, M.J., Huttenhower, C., Knight, R., Burk, R.D. and Kaplan, R.C. (2021). The Gut Microbiome Modifies the Association Between a Mediterranean Diet and Diabetes in USA Hispanic/ Latino Population. [online] 107(3), pp.e924–e934. doi:https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgab815.
- Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. (2021). Nutrition and immune system: from the Mediterranean diet to dietary supplementary through the microbiota. [online] Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408398.2020.1792826
- Merra, G., Noce, A., Marrone, G., Cintoni, M., Aparecida, M., A. Capacci and A De Lorenzo (2020). Influence of Mediterranean Diet on Human Gut Microbiota. [online] 13(1), pp.7–7. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13010007.
- Tarini Shankar Ghosh, Rampelli, S., Jeffery, I.B., Santoro, A., Marta Martins Neto, Capri, M., Enrico Giampieri, Jennings, A., Candela, M., Turroni, S., Zoetendal, E.G., Gerben, Caumon Elodie, Meunier, N., Corinne Malpuech Brugere, Pujos-Guillot, E., Berendsen, A.A.M., C.P.G.M. de Groot, Feskins, E. and Kaluza, J. (2020). Mediterranean diet intervention alters the gut microbiome in older people reducing frailty and improving health status: the NU-AGE 1-year dietary intervention across five European countries. [online] 69(7), pp.1218–1228. doi:https://doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2019-319654.
- Zand, A., Ibrahim, K. and Bhargavi Patham (2018). Prediabetes: Why Should We Care? [online] 14(4), pp.289–289. doi:https://doi.org/10.14797/mdcj-14-4-289.
- Dashti, H., Mathew, T.C. and N.S. Al-Zaid (2020). Efficacy of Low-Carbohydrate Ketogenic Diet in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes. [online] 30(3), pp.223–235. doi:https://doi.org/10.1159/000512142.
- McMacken, M. and Shah, S.R. (2017). A plant-based diet for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. [online] 14(5), pp.342–354. doi:https://doi.org/10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2017.05.009.
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Written by:
Sevginur Akdas, RD
Medically reviewed by:
Medically reviewed by:
