Throughout my medical career, overweight patients have often asked me the best way to lose weight. I have seen them try all kinds of diets, such as Atkins, The Zone, Sugar Busters, South Beach, the grapefruit diet, the cabbage soup diet, NutriSystem, Jenny Craig, and low-fat diets, among many others. Many of these diets didn't have any scientific evidence that they were safe and healthy, although it was clear that acute medical complications were uncommon. Many dieters indeed lost weight. Rarely, a diet had scientific studies demonstrating long-term effectiveness as well as evidence that the diet actually improved health and underlying chronic diseases. Dr. Dean Ornish's program is a prime example. But his diet is vegetarian, and, therefore, unlikely to be widely adopted. No matter how healthy it is, my patients just weren’t going to do it. Most of my patients who tried various diets did indeed lose weight, only to regain it after they got tired of the restrictions. Atkins is a good example.

Around the turn of the century, I began to see a trickle of scientific journal articles that pointed me in the right direction in terms of what we should be eating if our goals are improved health and longevity, regardless of weight loss. The eating pattern that eventually emerged included whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, fish, olive oil and other beneficial fats, judicious amounts of wine, and minimal amounts of saturated fat. Saturated fats are mostly derived from animal products such as beef, chicken, and pork. This dietary pattern had been in place in much of the Mediterranean region in the mid-20th century. The health and longevity benefits of this traditional Mediterranean diet had been extensively documented by researcher Ancel Keys in the 1950s and 1960s. No one knew exactly which components of the Mediterranean diet led to the health benefits, except it was clear back then that excessive saturated fats were harmful. It made sense to me that I should recommend a Mediterranean-style diet to my overweight patients. Why not lose weight and improve your health and chances for a longer life at the same time?

Like many physicians, I have been recommending the Mediterranean diet to my overweight patients since the turn of the century. The seminal studies by Ancel Keys demonstrated that adherents of the Mediterranean diet enjoyed longer life spans and lower rates of cardiovascular disease, such as heart attacks. Subsequent investigators showed that the diet also was associated with reduced rates of specific cancers: colon, breast, prostate, and uterus. Over the last five years, researchers have discovered that the Mediterranean diet pattern prevents type 2 diabetes, improves control of asthma, and reduces rates of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. No other eating pattern can legitimately claim all these health and longevity benefits.

Whether or not you need to lose excess weight, please consider adoption of Mediterranean-style eating. The website of Oldways Preservation and Exchange Trust (www.oldwayspt.org) will get you started. 

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