Healthy dietary patterns, including the low glycemic index diets and Mediterannean type diets have received much recognition over the past few years for their association with substantial health benefits. A cross-sectional study evaluating plasma markers and dietary data from 987 diabetic women from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) revealed that women following a Mediterranean-type dietary pattern albeit older tended to have lower body mass indexes and waist circumferences, and had higher total energy intakes, physical activities, and plasma adiponectin concentrations. Of the several components of the
Mediterranean dietary pattern score, alcohol, nuts, and whole grains showed the strongest association with adiponectin concentrations.
The significance of high circulating adiponectin levels in the context of features of the metabolic syndrome is discussed later on, but women in the NHS adhering closely to a Mediterranean dietary pattern had, in addition to higher adiponectin levels, lower levels of proinflammatory adipokines, lower degrees of insulin resistance, and lower risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In contrast, high glycemic index diet and higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, observed mainly in relation to a Western dietary pattern, are clearly associated with a greater magnitude of weight gain and an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Recent studies suggest that long-term coffee consumption is associated with a reduction in long-term weight gain and a statistically significantly lower risk for type 2 diabetes. The nuts consumption has also been described to offer potential benefits in lowering risk of type 2 diabetes in women. Finally, in addition to dietary patterns, physical activity significantly improves insulin resistance, insulin sensitivity, and the metabolic syndrome, in part by altering circulating adiponectin and expression of adiponectin as well as adiponectin receptor mRNA in muscle.
