Charlyn Fargo Ware: Mediterranean Diet for Weight Loss | Your Health

The Mediterranean diet may just be the most studied diet pattern we know. It consistently rates as a top diet in U.S. News & World Report’s annual review.

The Mediterranean diet, which is actually a meal pattern, was developed in the 1950s and ’60s when a few researchers noticed the significantly lower prevalence of heart disease in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. They attributed the low prevalence of heart disease to the overall lifestyle observed and particularly the pattern of foods eaten.

Meals centered around vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, eggs, seafood and less red meat.

Over the past two decades, research has found the Mediterranean diet may help manage diabetes, protect against memory loss and reduce the risk for developing certain cancers.

Now a just-released study finds that the Mediterranean diet pattern may help those who lose weight keep that weight off.

Called the MedWeight study, researchers found that adherence to a Mediterranean lifestyle pattern was associated with favorable weight loss outcomes. The study was published in Science journal.

Researchers examined the relationship between lifestyle patterns and weight loss outcomes among those who kept their weight off…