According to a new study published in BMC Medicine, the green Mediterranean diet (MED) significantly cuts down the visceral adipose tissue around the waist. In the study, the MED was pitted against the Mediterranean diet and a healthy diet. On top of a daily intake of walnuts (28 grams), the participants consumed 3–4 cups of green tea per day and 100 grams (frozen cubes) of duckweed green shake per day.

While talking about the benefits of the MED diet, they noted that it is enriched with dietary polyphenols and lower in red or processed meat than the traditional healthy Mediterranean diet. Additionally, they stated that the aquatic green plant duckweed is high in bioavailable protein, iron, B12, vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols and can substitute for meat intake.

The findings of the study showed that MED reduced visceral fat by 14%, whereas the Mediterranean diet and the healthy diet reduced visceral fat by 7% and 4.5%, respectively. The authors of the study noted that reduction in visceral fat is considered the true goal of weight loss as it is an important indicator of a persons weight or the circumference of their waist. They further explained that visceral fat aggregates over time between organs and produces hormones and poisons linked to heart disease, diabetes, dementia, and premature death. 

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1024473 )