Research
Mixed
Adherence to a Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of developing abdominal obesity (increased waist circumference) in normal weight individuals, driven primarily by low red meat intake and high vegetable consumption.
To prevent belly fat accumulation, focus on the entire Mediterranean pattern: eat plenty of vegetables, limit red meat and sugary drinks, and choose whole grains. Simply adding 'healthy' fats without addressing other dietary components may not provide the same protection against abdominal obesity.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
High adherence was also associated with... smaller 5-year change in waist circumference... and lower risk of abdominal obesity
Why this rating
Large cohort, but waist circumference was self-reported for some centers.
Source
Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and long-term changes in weight and waist circumference in the EPIC-Italy cohort
Claudia Agnoli et al. · Nutrition and Diabetes · 2018
DOI 10.1038/s41387-018-0023-3
cohort · n=32119Cited 121×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
Related findings · Mixed
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