A study of more than 2,000 middle-aged adults in the United States found that those who followed a high-quality diet performed best on fitness testing, even after regular exercise routines were taken into account.
In the study conducted at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Dr. “The improvement in fitness we observed in the better-fed participants was similar to the effect of taking an additional 4,000 steps each day,” says Michael Mi. said.
The average age of 1,154 participants in the study was 54, and more than half were women. Tested for oxygen consumption while cycling, participants completed a series of questions about how often they ate 126 different foods.
IT’S LIKE TAKING AN ADDITIONAL 4,000 STEPS PER DAY
According to a score similar to the Mediterranean diet, alcohol and red meat responses scored low, while vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish, and healthy fats scored high.
The study found that people who scored higher on diet scales generally performed better on the exercise bike, with about 5 percent more oxygen uptake. The team said this is “a similar magnitude to the result observed in their previous study, as an additional 4,000 steps were taken per day.”
All factors were also considered in the study, including age, gender, daily calories, weight, smoking status, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and routine physical activity.
Commenting on the results, Dr. Mi said the Mediterranean diet is a great option to start a healthy life in the middle age group.
