Just living with someone on the Mediterranean diet leads to weight loss

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Want to lose weight? Ask your PARTNER to go on a diet! Simply living with someone who is following a strict eating plan can help you drop the pounds, study claims

  • Researchers followed 148 family members of people on a Mediterranean diet
  • Dieters lost 6.79 kg (15lbs) after 24 months of consultations and exercise tips 
  • Their relatives lost 1.25kg (2.75lbs) after a year and 4kg (8.8lbs) after two years  

By Joe Pinkstone For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

If one family member is on a diet, the people they live with will also lose weight, a study has found. 

Spanish researchers followed 148 family members of people who had decided to strictly follow the Mediterranean diet. 

Diet participants were enrolled in a study and received direct consultations as well as being encouraged to exercise, but their family members did not. 

Despite this, the relatives — spouses, children, parents or siblings — lost an average of 1.25kg (2.75lbs) after one year and 4kg (8.8lbs) after 24 months. 

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If one family member is on a diet, the people they live with will also lose weight, a study has found (stock image)

THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET 

A Mediterranean diet incorporates the traditional healthy living habits of people from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, including France, Greece, Italy and Spain.

The Mediterranean diet varies by country and region, so it has a range of definitions. But in general, it’s high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, beans, cereals, grains, fish, and unsaturated fats such as olive oil. It usually includes a low intake of meat and dairy foods.

The Mediterranean diet has been linked with good health, including a healthier heart.

Source: NHS 

The traditional Mediterranean diet includes lots of vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains. It is also abundant in healthy fats like olive oil.

It contains moderate amounts of fish, white meat and some dairy, and very little sugar and red meat.    

In the study, Spanish researchers recruited 117 participants who were obese and at high risk of cardiovascular disease, and also kept tabs on their family. 

Participants and their family were weighed before the dieter was put on a strict Mediterranean diet, as well as an exercise regime. 

At the end of the year, the participants and their family members were weighed again.

The results revealed that the dieters themselves lost 5.10 kg (11lbs) in the first year, rising to 6.79 kg (15lbs) in the second year.

And despite not being on the plan themselves, their family members also lost an average of 1.25kg (2.75lbs) after one year and 4kg (8.8lbs) after 24 months.

The family members lost even more weight if they ate with the enrolled patient, or the patient was the one who did most of the cooking.  

Dr Albert Goday, from the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, said: ‘Achieved effects beyond just weight loss in the patient, and this extended to their family environment.

‘The effect was contagious, in this context it was, fortunately, a beneficial “contagion”‘, resulting in weight loss and improved dietary habits.’ 

While the research project did see the dieters increase their levels of physical activity and do more exercise, this did not rub off on their household members. 

The traditional Mediterranean diet includes lots of vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains. It is also abundant in healthy fats like olive oil. It contains moderate amounts of fish, white meat and some dairy, and very little sugar and red meat

The traditional Mediterranean diet includes lots of vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains. It is also abundant in healthy fats like olive oil. It contains moderate amounts of fish, white meat and some dairy, and very little sugar and red meat

But because these people did lose significant amounts of weight which Dr Olga Castañer, co-author of the study from the IMIM-Hospital del Mar, says proves the diet must be what led to the weight loss. 

‘The beneficial effect of the programme on one member of the family unit can be extended to its other members, which is extremely significant in terms of reducing the burden of obesity on the public health system,’ says Dr Goday. 

The findings are published in the International Journal of Obesity.

Eating a Mediterranean diet for just one year ‘reduces frailty and keeps the mind sharp’ in old age 

Eating a Mediterranean diet could help keep the mind sharp and reduce frailty in old age, researchers have found.  

Retired adults in five countries followed either a diet rich in healthy fats and fruit and vegetables or continued their normal diet for one year.

Researchers analysed stool samples and found the Mediterranean-style diet boosted bacteria in the gut.

Some bacteria are linked to healthy aging by staving off frailty and memory-loss, scientists say.

The study adds to mounting evidence finding the Mediterranean diet to be one of the healthiest in the world.