All of these factors present the issues related to metabolic
syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is symptomized by cardiovascular
disease, being overweight and a tendency for type 2 diabetes.
The study followed 80 volunteers who were between 51 and 59
years old. They were randomly split into two groups, and one
group ate the Mediterranean diet and the other ate a western
diet. Before and after six months, the subjects underwent
extensive testing. After 25 weeks on the diet, the Mediterranean
diet subjects had an average of 12.4% lower body mass index,
8.3% less weight, 9.2% lower fasting glycemia and 32% lower
fasting insulin. The Med diet group also had 34% lower levels of
C-reactive protein. C-reactive protein is a marker for
inflammation. High CRP levels indicate systemic inflammation,
often accompanying the hardening of the arteries, also called
atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease and a higher risk of
heart disease and stroke in general. Lower fasting glycemia
levels means lower levels of blood sugar, relat