Even if you don’t lose weight, a Nordic diet decreases cholesterol and blood sugar levels, according to a study.
A healthy Nordic diet can help you avoid a variety of illnesses. Until previously, experts’ findings on the health benefits of a Nordic diet had mostly focused on weight loss.
However, researchers from the University of Copenhagen and their Nordic colleagues discovered compelling evidence that a Nordic diet can lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels without causing weight loss in a new study.
They point to the composition of dietary lipids in particular as a possible explanation for the diet’s beneficial effects.
Berries, vegetables, salmon, whole grains, and rapeseed oil are the major constituents of the Nordic diet, which has been regarded as very healthful, tasty, and sustainable for the past decade. Obesity can be avoided, and the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol can be reduced.
Until date, most Nordic diet research has focused on the diet’s good health effects after weight loss. However, a new study led by University of Copenhagen academics, among others, shows that a Nordic diet is beneficial to one’s health regardless of whether or not one loses weight.
“It’s surprising because most people believe that weight loss is the main driver of improved blood sugar and cholesterol levels. We have discovered that this is not the case here.
There are other mechanisms at work as well “Lars Ove Dragsted, a researcher and section leader at the Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports at the University of Copenhagen, explains.
Dragsted studied blood and urine samples from 200 adults over the age of 50, all of whom had an elevated BMI and a higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, in collaboration with researchers from Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland.
The participants were split into two groups: one was given meals based on Nordic dietary recommendations, while the other was given their usual diet. The outcome was obvious after six months of monitoring.
“In comparison to the control group, the Nordic diet group became much healthier, with lower cholesterol levels, lower overall levels of both saturated and unsaturated fat in the blood, and better glucose management.
We kept the group on a weight-stable Nordic diet, which meant we encouraged them to eat more if they lost weight. We could see an improvement in their health even if they didn’t lose weight “Lars Ove Dragsted adds.
We are healthy because of our fat.
The particular composition of fats in a Nordic diet, rather than weight loss alone, is cited by the researchers as a possible explanation for the large health advantages.
“We were able to see that individuals who gained the most from the dietary change had different fat-soluble compounds than the control group by examining their blood.
These are chemicals that appear to be associated to unsaturated fatty acids found in Nordic oils. This indicates that, contrary to my expectations, Nordic dietary fats have the most important role in the health impacts shown here “Lars Ove Dragsted agrees.
Fish, flaxseeds, sunflower, and rapeseed are among the fats found in the Nordic diet. They make up a highly advantageous combination for the body as a whole, yet studies have yet to pinpoint why these fats appear to lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
“We can only hypothesize on why a change in fat composition is so beneficial to our health. However, we can establish that avoiding highly processed foods and consuming fewer saturated fats from animals has a significant favorable impact on our health.
So, even when participants’ weight remains constant, the fat composition of the Nordic diet, which is higher in omega-3 and omega-6 unsaturated fats, is definitely a significant part of the reason for the health effects we see from the Nordic diet “Lars Ove Dragsted sums up.
