The Mediterranean diet has long been lauded as the world’s healthiest eating plan.
The diet, which emphasizes lean protein, seafood, and healthy fats like olive oil, has mountains of studies pointing to its benefits.
These include weight loss, lowered risk of heart disease, and even warding off dementia.
However, a new study suggests that an up-and-coming diet could dethrone Mediterranean plan and halve the risk of metabolic syndrome, which can lead diabetes, high blood prssure, and heart disease.
Researchers in Spain recruited more than 200 familes and assigned roughly half to follow the Atlantic diet, an eating plan derived from Spain and Portugal that emphasizes stews, baked and boiled foods, rather than roasted in fat or fried, as well as local, seasonal options.
Those who stuck to the Atlantic diet instead of their normal foods for six months ‘significantly reduced the incidence of metabolic syndrome,’ including improvements in waist circumference, weight, and HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
Only three percent of participants following the plan developed a decline in the above health markers, compared to six percent in the other group.
However, blood pressure and glucose – blood sugar – levels stayed the same.
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The Atlantic diet prioritizes foods found in Spain and Portugal, including local and seasonal picks like fish, healthy fats, and nuts
One of the key aspects of the Atlantic diet is stewing, boiling, and grilling foods. Stewing has been shown to reduce the amount of harmful additives that can lead to heart disease and dementia
Michelle Routhenstein, a registered dietitian nutritionist at EntirelyNourished, who was not involved in the study, told Healthline: ‘The Atlantic Diet presents significant potential for enhancing health due to its emphasis on nutrient-dense foods and family-oriented
