Mediterranean Diet And Exercise Improve Gut Health, Resulting In Weight Loss

●     New research reveals that following a Mediterranean diet and maintaining a regular exercise routine can positively affect the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome while also resulting in weight loss.

●     This study suggests a potential new direction for investigating the influence of diet and exercise on gut health.

●     However, experts warn that the study's design may make the findings less conclusive, emphasising the necessity for further research.

A recent study looked into what happens when you mix a Mediterranean diet with regular exercise, mainly focusing on the gut's health.

The results showed that people who stuck to the Mediterranean diet and worked out had better gut bacteria changes than those who just followed the diet.

Plus, the group that added exercise to their routine lost more weight.

Eating well and staying active are great for overall health. While eating right is essential for losing weight, exercising does wonders for your heart, metabolism, brain health, strength, and balance.

This could be the first time a study has shown that combining a healthy diet with exercise can be especially beneficial for gut health and help with weight loss.

The study's findings were shared in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers split them into two groups in a year-long study involving 400 people between 55 and 75 at high risk for heart problems. Before starting, they gathered a bunch of health info from everyone, including what they ate, their body sizes, blood tests, and even samples of their gut bacteria.

One group, the lifestyle intervention group, got put on a special version of the Mediterranean diet with fewer calories. They also got tips from a nutrition expert and were encouraged to go for fast walks and do exercises for strength, balance, and flexibility every day. This group also met with researchers a couple of times a month to check in on their progress.

The other group, the control group, was just given some basic information on following the Mediterranean diet but needed to get special instructions about exercising. It was up to them how closely they wanted to follow the diet.

After a year, the researchers noticed some interesting changes in the gut bacteria of the group that did the diet and exercise. They found differences in certain substances in their gut, with some going up and others going down. These changes were also linked to better heart health. Exercise could be good for your gut, helping the good bacteria and keeping the bad ones in check.

The study's exciting results come with a catch. The two groups were meant to eat a low-calorie Mediterranean diet but ended up eating differently.

A specialist in gut health from California pointed out that the group that wasn't doing the exercise didn't stick to the diet as strictly as the other group. This made it tough to tell if the health benefits came from the diet, the exercise, or a mix of both.

The study's lead researcher also mentioned that since the non-exercise group could eat pretty much what they wanted within the Mediterranean diet guidelines, their food choices could vary a lot.

This means the variety in what they ate might have had a more significant impact on their gut bacteria than the exercise for the other group. So, it's hard to say that exercise alone made a difference in gut health.

A specialist in gut health suggests we need more research to understand how diet and exercise work together. He pointed out that we can't say that exercise alone was the key factor, but the idea is worth exploring more.

A nutrition expert focusing on heart health mentioned that exercise could help make the gut's bacteria more diverse and bring positive changes. However, she also believes more research is needed.

She shared that even very active people can still have heart issues if they don't eat well. She's met many who focused a lot on exercise but didn't pay much attention to their diet, thinking their fitness level meant they were healthy.

She thinks we should stop arguing about whether diet or exercise is more important for heart and overall health. Instead, we should understand that eating well and staying active is crucial for keeping our hearts, guts, brains, and bodies in the best shape possible.

If you want to better understand the balance between diet and exercise for optimal health, Mobi Doctor is here to help. Our team can provide guidance and support tailored to your needs, ensuring you get the best advice for your heart, gut, and overall well-being.