Mediterranean magic

Eating a Mediterranean diet that involves consuming more fish and plant-based proteins such as nuts and beans could decrease the chances an overweight person will experience regular pain, new research suggests.

A well-established connection between body weight and chronic pain might be explained by inflammation in the body, and the study points to anti-inflammatory foods including fish, nuts and beans as a key to preventing or reducing that pain, said lead researcher Charles Emery, Professor at the Ohio State University in the US.

“We found that a healthy diet explained the link between weight and pain and specifically that seafood and plant proteins such as peas and nuts and beans were key,” Emery said.

The researchers developed a model to help them determine whether components of an anti-inflammatory diet high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats, played a role in the likelihood a person’s weight would contribute to pain.

The study involved 98 men and women aged between 20 to 78 years.

And they found a clear pattern. —IANS