![Sample our Food Science & Technology journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5936/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Food-Science-Technology.jpg"})
Abstract
The Mediterranean diet (MeD) is believed to promote health; nevertheless, changes in the nutritional patterns in the Mediterranean area (increased intake of refined carbohydrates/saturated fats; reduced fibers intake; main calorie load shifted to dinner) led to reduced MeD benefits in recent decades. We retrospectively investigated the effects of a MeD with a low intake of refined carbohydrates in the evening (“MeDLowC”) on body weight (BW) and metabolic profile of overweight/obese subjects. According to their adherence to MeDLowC, subjects were classified into 44 (41%) individuals with “excellent” adherence and 63 (59%) with “poor” adherence. Nutritional counseling induced an improvement in BW, glucose metabolism and liver transaminases in both groups, with an increased magnitude of these effects in the “Excellent” adherence group. “Excellent” adherence to MeDLowC improved insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism. In conclusion, MeD with a restriction of carbohydrates in the evening significantly ameliorates obesity and associated metabolic complications.
Acknowledgements
We thank the medical students, the trainee physicians and the nurses of the “Clinical Nutrition” Outpatient Clinic of the Clinica Medica “Augusto Murri” (Aldo Moro University of Bari, Italy) for their help in getting access to the clinical data of the patients. The authors are indebted with Prof. Antonio Moschetta for suggesting the idea of treating patients with MeDLowC, and for his help during the design of the retrospective analysis. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Disclosure statement
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
Funding
Michele Vacca was supported by the Fondazione Umberto Veronesi and the Medical Research Council (MRC-HNR; MC_PC_13030).