The Mediterranean diet has already received plenty of positive attention for allowing things like olive oil and red wine to stay in your diet, and now, it's touting some pretty impressive health benefits for postmenopausal women.

A study presented at ENDO 2018, the annual congress of the American Society of Endocrinology, showed that following a Mediterranean diet can help protect postmenopausal women from osteoporosis. The disease causes bones to become weak and brittle, and is often caused by a lack of calcium and vitamin D.

Mediterranean diets, which emphasize foods like fruits, veggies, fish, avocado, and whole grains while limiting saturated fat, red meat, and dairy, are rich in vitamins, fiber, and Omega healthy fatty acids. This kind of diet makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight and protect against cardiovascular disease, as well as helps maintain muscle mass loss and bone density, Health Thoroughfare explains.

This is especially important for postmenopausal women, as the decline of estrogen speeds up women's loss of bone mass. Among the 103 women studied, the women who followed a Mediterranean diet had higher bone mineral density at the spine and greater muscle mass. According to Thais Rasia Silva, Ph.D., the study's lead investigator, based on the results, "We found that the Mediterranean diet could be a useful nonmedical strategy for the prevention of osteoporosis and fractures in postmenopausal women."

If you're looking to add more Mediterranean foods to your diet, start by putting nuts, seeds, fresh produce, fish, and whole grains on your grocery list. For heart-healthy recipes to make at home, click here.

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Madison Flager Lifestyle Editor Madison Flager is the Lifestyle Editor at Delish.com; she covers food news and trends, travel-worthy food experiences, and the products you need in your kitchen right now.

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