Read More: Eat a little less, walk briskly and add one pantry staple: a six-year Spanish study says this trio could help hold off diabetes<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nResearchers randomly assigned them to two groups. One group aimed to eat about 600 fewer calories daily, follow a Mediterranean diet, do brisk walking<\/a> plus strength and balance exercises, and attend weight-loss counseling. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe comparison group received Mediterranean diet advice without a calorie target or organized exercise plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A clear but modest benefit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
After about six years, 280 people in the intervention group developed type-2 diabetes, compared with 349 in the comparison group. That worked out to 9.5% versus 12%. The 31% figure refers to the adjusted relative rate over time, while the absolute six-year gap was about 2.5 diagnoses per 100 participants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The intervention group lost an average of 7.3 lbs. and trimmed about 1.4\u201d from the waist. The comparison group lost about 1.3 lbs. and roughly 1\/10th<\/sup> of an inch. The changes were modest, but they held up over years rather than weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/predimed-plus-spanish-study-diabetes-olive-oil-1.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
A landmark six-year Spanish trial demonstrates that a calorie-reduced Mediterranean diet, brisk walking, and olive oil can delay type-2 diabetes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhy waist size matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A shrinking waist is not only about how clothes fit. Visceral fat<\/a> sits deep around internal organs, where it can release substances that promote inflammation and interfere with the body\u2019s response to insulin.<\/p>\n\n\n\nInsulin<\/a> helps move sugar from the blood into cells for energy. When cells stop responding normally, the pancreas works harder, blood sugar rises, and type-2 diabetes can follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFood and movement worked together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Mediterranean pattern<\/a> emphasizes vegetables, beans, whole grains, fish, nuts, and olive oil while limiting highly processed foods and oversized portions. Exercise adds another route to better blood sugar control because working muscles can use more glucose.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFirst author Miguel Ruiz-Canela, working with principal investigator Miguel \u00c1ngel Mart\u00ednez-Gonz\u00e1lez at the University of Navarra, said, \u201cThe Mediterranean diet acts synergistically to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Put simply, the food pattern, calorie cut, walking, strength work, and coaching supported one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Olive oil is not a magic shield<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It would be a mistake to read the trial as proof that olive oil alone prevents diabetes. Extra-virgin olive oil<\/a> keeps more naturally occurring plant compounds than refined oil, but it remains calorie-dense and works best within an overall eating pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe earlier PREDIMED trial found fewer major cardiovascular events among high-risk adults assigned a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\nRead More: Cancer recovery is not only about medicine: drawing, clay, even music may unlock emotions patients could not say out loud<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nA newer analysis<\/a> found stronger cardiovascular associations for extra-virgin oil than for common olive oil, although it could not prove cause and effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\nEarlier research explains the result<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A three-year analysis of 1,521 participants found that the same program reduced total and visceral fat while slowing age-related loss of lean mass. That matters because muscle helps the body handle glucose, and losing weight without giving up too much muscle is difficult for many older adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new diabetes finding fits that picture. Less deep abdominal fat, more movement, and better diet quality can all push metabolism in a healthier direction, even with modest weight loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result has limits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The findings came from older adults in Spain with excess weight and metabolic syndrome, so they may not apply equally to younger, leaner, or lower-risk people. Diabetes was a planned secondary outcome, and dietary adherence was self-reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The study also cannot separate the effects of eating less, exercising, improving food quality, losing weight, and receiving support. What succeeded was the complete program\u2013not one simple hack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mediterranean-diet-walking-olive-oil-diabetes-study.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
A major six-year Spanish clinical trial published in the Annals of Internal Medicine reveals that combining a calorie-reduced Mediterranean diet, regular walking, and olive oil helps prevent type-2 diabetes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nDiabetes keeps spreading<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The IDF Diabetes Atlas<\/a> estimates that 589 million adults ages 20 to 79 were living with diabetes worldwide in 2024, with 853 million projected by 2050. In the United States, the CDC estimates that 40.1 million people had diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCopying the Spanish program is not as simple as handing everyone olive oil and walking shoes, though. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\nRead More: If you think chemo is the only way to beat aggressive cancer, this teen’s revolutionary treatment will change your mind<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nIn an Annals commentary, Sharon Herring and Gina Tripicchio of Temple University warned that food prices, unsafe streets, and limited counseling can block healthy choices. An olive oil bottle cannot replace an affordable grocery store or a safe sidewalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What this means in practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
PREDIMED-Plus tested a structured program, not a crash diet. In practical terms, it means better food quality, smaller portions, brisk movement, strength work<\/a>, and steady guidance, but cutting 600 calories should not become a universal prescription without medical advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAt the end of the day, modest changes mattered because people sustained them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The main study has been published in Annals of Internal Medicine<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Could a drizzle of olive oil, a brisk walk, and smaller portions help stop type-2 diabetes before it starts? A … <\/p>\n
The comparison group received Mediterranean diet advice without a calorie target or organized exercise plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A clear but modest benefit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
After about six years, 280 people in the intervention group developed type-2 diabetes, compared with 349 in the comparison group. That worked out to 9.5% versus 12%. The 31% figure refers to the adjusted relative rate over time, while the absolute six-year gap was about 2.5 diagnoses per 100 participants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The intervention group lost an average of 7.3 lbs. and trimmed about 1.4\u201d from the waist. The comparison group lost about 1.3 lbs. and roughly 1\/10th<\/sup> of an inch. The changes were modest, but they held up over years rather than weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A shrinking waist is not only about how clothes fit. Visceral fat<\/a> sits deep around internal organs, where it can release substances that promote inflammation and interfere with the body\u2019s response to insulin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Insulin<\/a> helps move sugar from the blood into cells for energy. When cells stop responding normally, the pancreas works harder, blood sugar rises, and type-2 diabetes can follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mediterranean pattern<\/a> emphasizes vegetables, beans, whole grains, fish, nuts, and olive oil while limiting highly processed foods and oversized portions. Exercise adds another route to better blood sugar control because working muscles can use more glucose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First author Miguel Ruiz-Canela, working with principal investigator Miguel \u00c1ngel Mart\u00ednez-Gonz\u00e1lez at the University of Navarra, said, \u201cThe Mediterranean diet acts synergistically to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Put simply, the food pattern, calorie cut, walking, strength work, and coaching supported one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It would be a mistake to read the trial as proof that olive oil alone prevents diabetes. Extra-virgin olive oil<\/a> keeps more naturally occurring plant compounds than refined oil, but it remains calorie-dense and works best within an overall eating pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The earlier PREDIMED trial found fewer major cardiovascular events among high-risk adults assigned a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A newer analysis<\/a> found stronger cardiovascular associations for extra-virgin oil than for common olive oil, although it could not prove cause and effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A three-year analysis of 1,521 participants found that the same program reduced total and visceral fat while slowing age-related loss of lean mass. That matters because muscle helps the body handle glucose, and losing weight without giving up too much muscle is difficult for many older adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new diabetes finding fits that picture. Less deep abdominal fat, more movement, and better diet quality can all push metabolism in a healthier direction, even with modest weight loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The findings came from older adults in Spain with excess weight and metabolic syndrome, so they may not apply equally to younger, leaner, or lower-risk people. Diabetes was a planned secondary outcome, and dietary adherence was self-reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The study also cannot separate the effects of eating less, exercising, improving food quality, losing weight, and receiving support. What succeeded was the complete program\u2013not one simple hack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The IDF Diabetes Atlas<\/a> estimates that 589 million adults ages 20 to 79 were living with diabetes worldwide in 2024, with 853 million projected by 2050. In the United States, the CDC estimates that 40.1 million people had diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Copying the Spanish program is not as simple as handing everyone olive oil and walking shoes, though. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In an Annals commentary, Sharon Herring and Gina Tripicchio of Temple University warned that food prices, unsafe streets, and limited counseling can block healthy choices. An olive oil bottle cannot replace an affordable grocery store or a safe sidewalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PREDIMED-Plus tested a structured program, not a crash diet. In practical terms, it means better food quality, smaller portions, brisk movement, strength work<\/a>, and steady guidance, but cutting 600 calories should not become a universal prescription without medical advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of the day, modest changes mattered because people sustained them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The main study has been published in Annals of Internal Medicine<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Could a drizzle of olive oil, a brisk walk, and smaller portions help stop type-2 diabetes before it starts? A … <\/p>\nWhy waist size matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Food and movement worked together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Olive oil is not a magic shield<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Read More: Cancer recovery is not only about medicine: drawing, clay, even music may unlock emotions patients could not say out loud<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Earlier research explains the result<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The result has limits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Diabetes keeps spreading<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Read More: If you think chemo is the only way to beat aggressive cancer, this teen’s revolutionary treatment will change your mind<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
What this means in practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n