Gangnam Severance Hospital said a new, calorie-restricted Korean-style Mediterranean diet (KMD) developed by its researchers helped reduce cardiovascular risk by improving chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and fatty liver.

The research team, led by Professor Lee Ji-won of the Department of Family Medicine, reorganized the existing Mediterranean diet to make it more suitable for Korean patients.

KMD provides about 300 less calories and contains carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in a ratio of 5:3:2, reducing carbohydrates and increasing fat and protein compared to the original Mediterranean diet. In addition, researchers considered the general diet of Koreans and included an appropriate ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

The Mediterranean diet is healthy, unsaturated fatty, and dietary acid fiber in olive oil and nuts, fish, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains evenly while minimizing consumption of red meat and added sugar.

In the study, the research team divided 92 people with high cholesterol symptoms into two groups. It then provided KMD and the existing Mediterranean diet for 10 weeks to see how the two different diets improve symptoms.

The research team served the targeted group with KMD twice a day for four weeks, followed by a two-week break, and provided a regular diet normal diet for the next four weeks. However, the controlled group lived on a regular diet for the first four weeks and began taking in KMD after a break of two weeks.

Researchers found that the participants lost 1.76 kilograms on average with a 1.73-centimeter reduction in their waist circumference.

All indicators affecting dyslipidemia, including cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and fatty liver index, were also significantly reduced in the study.

The Korean-style diet lowered most health index levels, including white blood cell counts, fasting blood sugar, fasting insulin degree, and insulin resistance index.

“KMD helps control dyslipidemia by lowering cholesterol levels in hypercholesterolemic patients and prevent cardiovascular diseases by reducing inflammation and insulin resistance in the body and improving the fatty liver,” Professor Lee said.

The study results were published in Nutrients, an international academic journal, titled “Effects of a Calorie-Restricted Mediterranean-Style Diet on Plasma Lipids in Hypercholesterolemic South Korean Patients.”