vidence suggests that traditional eating plans such as the Mediterranean, Inuit and Okinawan diets are protective of disease. Despite obvious differences in composition, common characteristics of such traditional diets exist. In particular, traditional diets are low in sugar and refined carbohydrates and generally contain a high fibre to carbohydrate ratio as well as micronutrient dense foods. Historical records show that aboriginal populations introduced to Western foods undergo a rapid transition towards increase prevalence of Western diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity within a single generation. Evidence from clinical trials shows that the risk factors associated with Western diseases can be reversed through nutrition changes, that involves adherence to high quality diets with compositions similar to traditional eating plans.
The gradual spread of Western dietary practices to areas historically tied to traditional eating patterns is concerning because Western diseases follow. Populations around the Mediterranean Sea traditionally follow a diet high in whole grain cereals, poultry, diary, fruit and vegetables. However, the number of individuals following such an eating plan has declined in recent years. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition in 20121 investigated the adherence of the Spanish population to its traditional eating plans, which includes the Mediterranean diet. In the cross-sectional study, almost 12,000 individuals had their 8 year dietary intakes assessed. Only 12 % of the subjects had a diet pattern that reached accordance with the criteria for the Mediterranean diet, with 46 % reaching moderate accordance. The researches notice that the data polarised intakes in the subjects between a Westernised diet plan and a more traditional Mediterranean plan.
The results from this study and others suggests that indigenous populations are drifting away from their traditional diets and towards a more Westernised intake of foods. These Western diets include increased concentrations of foods such as French fries, red meat, processed meat, refined cereals and sweetened beverages, with lower intakes of fresh fruit and vegetables. This would tend to suggest that the diet of these individuals comprise of convenience foods, which are possibly typified by the menu at Western fast food franchises. It is becoming clear that such eating patterns are the likely cause of rising obesity rates within these populations, caused by insulin resistance and abdominal adiposity associated with metabolic syndrome. Reversal of this disease process is possible by reintroduction of the traditional diets such as the Mediterranean diet, as is evidenced by the many clinical trials in the nutritional literature.
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