S. Korean researchers develop Mediterranean diet that helps prevent cardiovascular disease

South Korean researchers have developed a Korean-style Mediterranean diet that helps prevent cardiovascular disease by reducing the proportion of carbohydrates while increasing the ratio of fat and protein.

The diet consisted of carbohydrates, fat, and protein in a 5:3:2 ratio.

The Gangnam Severance Hospital team offered the diet to 92 hyperlipidemia patients for 10 weeks and tracked their observations.

Patients who followed the Korean-style Mediterranean diet cut their average weight by 1.76 kilograms and trimmed their waist size by 1.73 centimeters.

In contrast, those from the general diet group only marked a 0.26-kilogram decline in average weight and 0.15 centimeters in waist size.

Those that took the Mediterranean diet also exhibited a meaningful reduction in dyslipidemia indices, including total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood, and steatosis index.

They also showed declines in other body inflammation indices, such as fasting blood sugar, leukocyte value, and insulin-resistant index.