“There are 12,000 accredited publications within the WHO database that mention the Mediterranean diet. The vast majority of these publications identify our dietary model as the best weapon for preventing and combating obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases which remain the leading cause of death. However, we need to make this very ancient dietary pattern more modern. In fact, Ansel Keys' calculation shows a quantity of cereals and carbohydrates that is decidedly too high for our increasingly sedentary lifestyle.” This was said by Annamaria Colao, member of the Board of Directors of the Fism Federation of Italian medical-scientific societies and past-president of the Italian Endocrinology Society, speaking at the event 'Mediterranean diet: promoting healthy lifestyles and preserving our food heritage', promoted in Paestum on the occasion of the first National Made in Italy Day.
The Mediterranean diet, underlines Colao, “does not only refer to nutrition but also to the adoption of a correct lifestyle. To date, we have all become extremely sedentary, and therefore since the carbohydrate part is used by the muscle when we exercise , by not practicing sport we must reduce carbohydrates and sugars”. And given the effectiveness of the 'preventive drug', Colao recommends adopting the Mediterranean diet “even during pregnancy”.
It is “crucial – explains the endocrinologist – that a pregnant woman knows that whatever she eats modifies the metabolism of the embryo that is forming. So everything that is the ability of that new life to use nutrients and process them depends on what the mother eats during pregnancy.” But the importance of the Mediterranean diet goes beyond “because it is also the best way to respect the environment and respect for the environment is the great value of Italian culture”, she concludes.
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