A new study recently showed that it's not all the time that people going on a Mediterranean diet are safe, especially those that do not go organic.
As specified in a Study Finds report, researchers are claiming that pesticides and contaminants present in produce and whole grains have the capacity to weaken one's immune system.
There's been a great amount of ordeal surrounding the Mediterranean diet in recent years, which usually consists of fruits and vegetables, nuts, fish, olive oil, and whole grains.
Now, this new study provides more worrying cautions. Switching from the regular "Western" diet to a traditional Mediterranean one may triple the intake of an individual's environmental contaminants.
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The Mediterranean diet, a term used to broadly describe the eating habits of the people of the area, is widely believed to be responsible for the low rates of chronic heart disease in the populations of the 16 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
A Shocking Twist
Numerous studies have welcomed this new finding as a healthy substitute to usual diets, which are rich in saturated fat from red meat and dairy, making it extremely famous with health-conscious people.
In a shocking twist, researchers of this new work found that fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are the sources of most of the said toxins when they come from traditional farming methods. On the other hand, fish contains lesser contaminants.
In addition, the international team said the Mediterranean diet could weaken not just the immune system, fertility and stunt children's growth and development.
The research, published in the American Journal of Critical Nutrition, led by the University of Oslo scientists, looked at British students who are following the diet. They conclude that farming everything in a Mediterranean diet organically would slash contaminants intake by 90 percent.
Environmental Contaminants
Researchers tested the urine of the participants and examined which were present in the foods they consumed.
Carlo Leifert, Project Manager and a visiting professor at Oslo said, many of the environmental contaminants found may impact hormones in the body.
In a news release, Leifert explained a lot of the synthetic pesticides in both urine and food samples in this research are validated or suspected EDC or endocrine-disrupting chemicals or EDC.
He added, the "10 times higher pesticide exposure from conventional foods," may thus offer a mechanistic explanation for the lower occurrence of overweight or obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cancer-connected with high organic food consumption levels in epidemiological or cohort studies.
Toxic From Seemingly Healthy Food
According to the study investigators, it is quite early for health officials to begin recommendations against the Mediterranean diet.
They also noted that the study of more than 20 British students was small and further research is essential to verify the outcomes.Professor Chris Seal from Newcastle University said the study offers clear evidence that both people's diet and the way they produce food may impact the level of exposure to synthetic chemical pesticides and, eventually, their health.
An individual's intake of environmental contaminants comes from other things as well, like skin creams and even the air breathed in. The research did not account for such factors, although the study investigators say it is not likely to have affected the outcomes.
Related information about Mediterranean Diet is shown on Physicians Committee's YouTube video below:
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