Bella Adams
IKEA diet, Swedish diet, or simply Nordic diet: To eat as usual in Scandinavian countries is known by several names. In the last years, the Abnehm variant became ever more popular. But does the trend live up to its promise?
The term “Nordic diet” refers to the diet common in Scandinavian countries, which consists mainly of fish, berries, apples, pears, cabbage and root vegetables, potatoes, and whole grains.
Finnish researchers have now taken a closer look at the diet in a study and found that it can be quite suitable for long-term weight loss.
The nordic diet influences body weight
It has been known for some time that the Nordic diet is said to have a good influence on heart health, but the effects of the diet on body weight were previously unexplored. In the study, which lasted seven years, the scientists wanted to change this.
The study started in 2007 with 5024 Finns who were between 25 and 75 years old. They were asked about their eating habits using a questionnaire. A point scale indicated their respective compliance with the Nordic diet.
Seven years later, when the researchers started their analyses, there were still 3735 subjects, one-third of whom were invited for a health check. The remaining study participants were sent a tape measure with which they were to measure their body circumference, as well as the questionnaire with a point scale again.
This allowed the researchers to test whether there was a correlation between body mass index (BMI) and compliance with the Nordic diet.
Nordic diet = lower BMI
Analysis of the data revealed that higher dietary compliance with the Nordic diet was indeed associated with lower weight or BMI. Individuals who improved their compliance score over the course of the study also had a lower body weight at the end of the seven years than at the beginning.
Thus, according to the results, the Nordic diet had a positive impact on the body weight of the study participants and may be well suited for maintaining a healthy weight in the long term.
Compared with other diets, however, the Swedish diet also has disadvantages: According to a study, those who eat a Nordic diet, for example, suffer a heart attack or stroke with the same frequency as friends of French fries, vanilla ice cream, and pork steaks.
