A group of Danish, Swedish and Finnish scientists has revealed that adopting the eating habits of northern European countries does not only help to lose weight. It would also have the effect of reducing cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
- Norse dietary “good fats” would probably play the most important role in the positive health effects.
- Study shows group that followed Nordic diet had lower cholesterol levels
Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland… In these countries, the food of the inhabitants is based on healthy and unprocessed products. Citizens of the Far North mainly consume foods rich in omega-3, such as fish or seafood, and in omega-6, such as vegetable oils. They also favor vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
Positive health effects, even without weight loss
So far, research on the Nordic diet has shown it to have health benefits after weight loss. But a new study, published in review Clinical Nutritionrevealed that adopting this diet also had positive effects on health, whether you lose weight or not.
“This is surprising because most people think that the benefits on blood sugar and cholesterol are only due to weight loss. Here, we found that this is not the case. Other mechanisms also come into play. Game”, explained Lars Ove Dragsted, researcher at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) and author of the study, in a statement.
For the purposes of the work, Danish, Swedish and Finnish researchers analyzed blood and urine samples from 200 people aged over 50, all of whom had a high BMI and an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. For 18 to 24 weeks, the participants were divided into two groups: one adopted Nordic eating habits and the other continued to eat normally.
A drop in cholesterol and blood sugar levels thanks to the Nordic diet
“The group that followed the Nordic diet for six months was significantly healthier, with lower cholesterol levels, lower overall levels of saturated and unsaturated fats in the blood, and better glucose regulation, compared to the control group. We kept the weight of the group on the Nordic diet stable, which means that we asked them to eat more if they lost weight. Even without weight loss, we could see an improvement in their health”developed Lars Ove Dragsted.
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