Today, his thriving Chicago practice focuses exclusively on preventing disease, and Devries is far more likely to counsel patients about diet, sleep habits and exercise than to prescribe high-tech scans or cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Motivated by a growing sense that America’s health care system is broken, doctors such as Devries and public health experts are turning to preventive medicine for a potential fix. And lawmakers, eager to curb rising health care costs, are paying close attention.

Statins can reduce risk of heart events by one-third. But studies have shown the Mediterranean diet is associated with a 72 percent reduction in cholesterol levels, Devries said.

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October 8, 2009 – By RONI CARYN RABIN – Nutrition: Lower Depression Risk Linked to Mediterranean Diet
Eating a Mediterranean-style diet — packed with fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, olive oil and fish — is good for your heart, many studies have found. Now scientists are suggesting the diet may be good for your mental health, too.

A study of over 10,000 Spaniards followed for almost four and half years on average found that those who reported eating a healthy Mediterranean diet at the beginning of the study were about half as likely to develop depression than those who said they did not stick to the diet.

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Jetting to the sunny climes of the Mediterranean couldn’t hurt if you feel a bout of depression settling in.

But a new study in the Archives of General Psychiatry finds that if your aim is to minimize your risk of depression in the first place, you might stay right where you are and make your plate look like it’s been to the Mediterranean. You should scale back on the meats and dairy fats, eat some nuts, and increase your consumption of fish, vegetables and legumes doused in olive oil.

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The study explored obese individuals newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, examining need for medication and weight loss, and whether eating a Mediterranean diet is effective, safe and sustainable for diabetes treatment.

Over a four-year period, 215 overweight diabetics were assigned to eat either a low carbohydrate Mediterranean type diet, or a typical low fat diet. Both groups received nutritional counseling at the start of the study, and bi-monthly for the next three years.

Diabetics lost weight on the Mediterranean diet, decreased some markers for heart disease, and fewer of the study participants required medications to control blood sugar.

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August 26, 2009 – Obese People Have ‘Brain Degeneration’ A new study finds obese people have 8 percent less brain tissue than normal-weight individuals. Their brains look 16 years older than the brains of lean individuals, researchers said today.

Those classified as overweight have 4 percent less brain tissue and their brains appear to have aged prematurely by 8 years.

The results, based on brain scans of 94 people in their 70s, represent “severe brain degeneration,” said Paul Thompson, senior author of the study and a UCLA professor of neurology.

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August 13, 2009 – Prevent Alzheimer’s: Mediterranean diet and exercise? Two studies in this week’s (August 12, 2009) Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggest that physical activity and a Mediterranean-type diet offer cognitive (mental) benefits to older adults.

In the first study, U.S. researchers followed 1,900 adults, average age 77, for 5 years. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was diagnosed in 15%. Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and regular physical activity were independently associated with lower AD risk.

Mediterranean diet: fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans), cereals, fish, and mild to moderate alcohol consumption were positives in the diet scoring system. Meat and dairy were negatives.

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August 17, 2009 – By Shara Yurkiewicz – Battling inflammation through food Though it’s an emerging field, proponents of anti-inflammatory diets point to growing evidence that foods like vegetables and fish can ease an overactive immune system.

If you want to live longer — avoid heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer — then pick and choose your foods with care to quiet down parts of your immune system.

That’s the principle promoted by the founders and followers of anti-inflammatory diets, designed to reduce chronic inflammation in the body.

Dozens of books filled with diets and recipes have flooded the market in the last few years, including popular ones by dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone and Zone Diet creator Barry Sears. Read the article here.

August 13, 2009 – By RONI CARYN RABIN – Prevention: Diet and Exercise Lower Alzheimer’s RiskOlder people who exercise seem to be at lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease, as are those who eat a Mediterranean-style diet. Now, a new study has found that the effects of the two lifestyle behaviors are independent of one another — and together, they add up.

The Columbia University study followed a diverse group of 1,880 septuagenarian New Yorkers, assessing their diets and levels of physical activity, and screening them periodically for Alzheimer’s disease. After an average of five years, 282 cases of Alzheimer’s were diagnosed.Read the article here.

May 18, 2009 – In Depth: 10 Foods You Should Be Eating, But Aren’tWhey Protein Powder – Little Miss Muffett knew what she was doing when she ate her curds and whey. A run-off of the cheese-making process, whey in powder form can be a great source of protein. It’s also been shown to stimulate the immune system. So get off your tuffett and try sprinkling some in your next smoothie. Read the article here.