Preventing Chronic Diseases: Benefits for Diabetes

Dear students,

Several decades have passed since Ancel Keys’ groundbreaking "Seven Countries Study" demonstrating that the Mediterranean diet holds the potential to prevent CHD mortality by attenuating plasma cholesterol concentrations. Starting from Keys’ studies, many other scientific researchers have analyzed the association between dietary habits and chronic diseases.  In particular has been put into evidence a remarkable decrease of abdominal circumference, an increase in high density lipoprotein (HDL), a decrease in triglycerides, a lowering of blood pressure and a decrease in the concentration of glucose in the blood. 

 

In this webQuest we'll focus on:

• metabolic syndrome, a combination of risk factors,that increase the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus,

• diabetes, as a chronic disease,

• rhe role of Mediterranean Dietary pattern on preventing diabetes and

• the body of evidence in support of this claim. Imagine you are a health and nutrition advocate tasked with creating a public awareness campaign about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet in preventing diabetes.

Your Mission:

1. Analyze the scientific evidence supporting the link between the Mediterranean diet and reduced risk of diabetes and obecity.

2. Identify clear and concise key messages about the Mediterranean diet, its components, and its benefits for preventing metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

3. Create a public awareness campaign that effectively communicates your key messages to a target audience of your choice.

We will start our scientific evidence analysis with the Metabolic syndrome and its impact on health:

 

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, diagnosed when an individual has at least three out of five criteria:

1. waist circumference (≥102 cm for men, ≥88 cm for women),

2. high triglycerides (≥150 mg/dL),

3. low HDL cholesterol (men <40 mg/dL, women <50 mg/dL),

4. elevated blood pressure (≥130/85 mmHg), and

5. high fasting plasma glucose (≥100 mg/dL).

This syndrome is crucial as it raises the likelihood of serious health issues like atherosclerosis, diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes. 

 

Watch the following video:

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Read the video summary here.

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The role of insulin in the context of metabolic syndrome:

Insulin resistance (IR) plays a crucial role in the development and progression of metabolism-related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, tumors, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and provides the basis for a common understanding of these chronic diseases.

While the exact causes of the syndrome are complex and not fully understood, central obesity and insulin resistance appear to cause systemic oxidative stress, leading to chronic low-grade inflammation. Current recommendations for reducing metabolic syndrome emphasize lifestyle changes, including a healthy diet (like the Mediterranean diet), regular physical activity, and weight loss. Extensive evidence indicates that the Mediterranean diet, whether calorie-restricted or not, is effective in preventing and managing metabolic syndrome.  

Make a research so to develop more and post your findings on the role of insuline in the context of metabolic syndrome and your responses on "How does the Mediterranean diet aid in the treatment of metabolic syndrome?"to the following padlet:

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https://padlet.com/meddiet4health/metabolic-syndrome-blfsye3isun577wa

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Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how the body processes glucose (sugar). There are two primary types: 

• Type 1 diabetes, which is often diagnosed in childhood, and 

• Type 2 diabetes, which is more common and typically develops in adulthood. Type 2 diabetes is closely linked to lifestyle factors such as diet, physical inactivity, and obesity. In this context, the Mediterranean diet offers a multifaceted approach to reducing the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

 

For startind to focus to diabetes melitus, take a look to the following presentation (first 4 slides):

 

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​https://view.genially.com/66a76ac8310c3c11d66a438e/presentation-mediterranean-diet-and-diabetes-prevention

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A Mediterranean style diet can therefore provide a great option for people with diabetes, as it could help reduce the risk of certain diabetes complications. There’s also evidence to show that the Mediterranean-style diet can promote weight loss and improve blood glucose management in people with type 2 diabetes.

 

If you want to develop more on the role of Mediterranean Diet components to the prevention of diabetes take a look at the slides 5-end of the same presentation. As you can see, in the slide 15 we ask you to search for more evidence...Please make a research and post your findings to the twinboard.

 

Now that you have the evidence needed you are ready to create a public awareness campaign!!!

 

 Create a public campaign that effectively communicates your key messages to a target audience of your choice (e.g., adolescents, adults, seniors). Your campaign should include at least one of the following:

• A persuasive brochure 

• An informative video or presentation

• A social media campaign (e.g., Instagram, TikTok)

INSTRUCTION COULD BE FOUND HERE: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u1rtSyKsU67zzDJ0_kXh6mMmecrTg5b1IHkpWyi3rF4/edit?usp=sharing

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