A research endeavor involving scientists from SAHMRI, UniSA, and Flinders University has shed light on the positive impact that a Mediterranean diet, further enriched with dairy, can exert on gut microbiota and, in turn, offer multiple health advantages.
The findings, delineated in the journal Nutrients, suggest that this diet not only fosters beneficial microbes within the gut but also concurrently diminishes the presence of harmful bacteria associated with heart disease.
Evaluating the Modified Mediterranean Diet in a Clinical Context
The study assessed the impact of a classic Mediterranean diet, supplemented with dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt, on the gut microbiome of adult participants predisposed to heart disease.
Across an eight-week dietary regimen, a noteworthy amplification in beneficial gut microbes, known to be conducive to overall gut health, was observed, paired with a reduction in detrimental bacteria implicated in heart disease risk.
Dr. Karen Murphy from UniSA, one of the lead researchers, emphasized the multi-faceted role gut microbiota plays in various health aspects.
“The Mediterranean diet encompasses essential foods and nutrients—including fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, and amino acids—which collectively foster a conducive gut environment,”
she explains, “This investigation underscores how a Mediterranean diet, complemented with additional dairy to adhere to Australian calcium guidelines, can facilitate a healthy gut.”
Correlating Gut Microbiota, Intestinal Health, and Cardiometabolic Wellness
Dr. Jocelyn Choo, Senior Research Scientist from SAHMRI and Flinders University, who helmed the microbiome analysis, underscores that while no drastic alterations were noticed in the overall structure of the gut microbiome, the diet was evidently associated with fluctuations in specific bacterial quantities.
She states, “As participants augmented the prevalence of advantageous microbes within their gut, a concomitant decrease in blood pressure was observed.”
The significance of these improvements is underscored by the potential they hold in curtailing the risk of heart diseases and strokes.
The research bolsters existing evidence that interlinks the Mediterranean diet with metabolic enhancement and underscores the potential role of positive microbiotic alterations, prompted by a dairy-enriched Mediterranean dietary approach, in furthering cardiometabolic health advancements.
This discovery could potentially pave the way for developing dietary strategies that harness the gut microbiome’s potential in promoting cardiovascular health, particularly among individuals at heightened risk of heart diseases.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies about a breakfast linked to better blood vessel health, and drinking too much coffee could harm people with high blood pressure.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about unhealthy habits that may increase high blood pressure risk, and results showing plant-based protein foods may help reverse diabetes.
The research findings can be found in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
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