Studies on The Mediterranean Diet – Does it Really Work?

At that time, researchers studying the cause of heart disease noted a striking pattern…

The people in certain countries around the Mediterranean sea (like Italy and Greece) hadvery little heart disease compared to Americans.

The researchers believed that the reason for their low heart disease rates was their healthy diet.

This diet was high in plants, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, breads, legumes, potatoes, nuts and seeds.

They also used hefty amounts of both extra virgin olive oil and red wine, along with moderate amounts of fish, poultry, dairy and eggs. Red meat was eaten only rarely.

Although this type of diet has been consumed for a long time around the Mediterranean, it only recently gained mainstream popularity as a good way to improve health and prevent disease.

Since then, numerous studies have been conducted on this diet, including several randomized controlled trials… which are the gold standard in science.

This article takes an objective look at 5 long-term controlled trials on the Mediterranean Diet. All of them are published in respected, peer-reviewed journals.

The Studies

Most of the participants are people who already have health problems such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome, or are at a high risk of heart disease.

The majority of the studies looked at common health markers like weight, heart disease risk factors and markers of diabetes. The larger and longer-term studies also looked at hard end points like heart attacks and death.

1. The PREDIMED Study

The PREDIMED study made headlines in 2013 for having caused a substantial reduction in cardiovascular disease.

This was a large study, with a total of 7447 individuals who were at a high risk of cardiovascular disease. They were randomized to three different diets:

A Mediterranean Diet with added extra virgin olive oil (Med + Olive Oil).
A Mediterranean Diet with added nuts (Med + Nuts).
A low-fat control group.

No one was instructed to reduce calories or increase physical activity. This study went on for almost 5 years and many papers have been written about it, some of them looking at different risk factors and end points.

Here are 6 papers (1.1 to 1.6) from the PREDIMED study.

1.1 Estruch R, et al. Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet. The New England Journal of Medicine, 2013.

Details: 7447 individuals at a high cardiovascular risk were randomized to a Mediterranean diet with added olive oil, a Mediterranean diet with added nuts, or a low-fat control group. The study went on for 4.8 years.

In this paper, researchers primarily looked at the pooled risk of heart attack, stroke and death from cardiovascular causes.

Results: The risk of of combined heart attack, stroke and death from cardiovascular disease was reduced by 30% in the Med + Olive Oil group, and 28% in the Med + Nuts group.

Some more details:

The results were only significant in men, not women.

The risk of stroke went down by 39% in the Mediterranean diet groups.

There was no statistically significant difference in heart attacks.

Dropout rates were twice as high in the control group (11.3%), compared to the Mediterranean diet groups (4.9%).

When looking at subgroups, people with high blood pressure, lipid problems or obesity responded best to the Mediterranean diet.

Despite this study being hailed as a success story, there was no statistically significant difference in total mortality (risk of death).

Conclusion: A mediterranean diet with either olive oil or nuts may reduce the combined risk of stroke, heart attack and death from cardiovascular disease. There was no statistically significant effect in women and no reduction in mortality.

1.2 Salas-Salvado J, et al. Effect of a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented With Nuts on Metabolic Syndrome Status. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2008.

Details: Data from 1224 individuals in the PREDIMED study was analyzed after 1 year, examining whether the diet helped individuals reverse the metabolic syndrome.

Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome decreased by 6.7% in the Med + Olive Oil group and 13.7% in the Med + Nuts group. The results were statistically significant only for the Med + Nuts group.

Conclusion: A mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts may help to reverse the metabolic syndrome.

1.3 Montserrat F, et al. Effect of a Traditional Mediterranean Diet on Lipoprotein Oxidation. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2007.

Details: 372 individuals from the PREDIMED study who were at a high cardiovascular risk were assessed after 3 months, looking at changes in oxidative stress markers like oxidized LDL (ox-LDL).

Results: The levels of oxidized LDL decreased in both Mediterranean Diet groups, but did not reach statistical significance in the low-fat control group.

Conclusion: The mediterranean diet caused reductions in oxidized LDL cholesterol, along with improvements in several other heart disease risk factors.

1.4 Salas-Salvado J, et al. Reduction in the Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes With the Mediterranean Diet: Results of the PREDIMED-Reus nutrition intervention randomized trial. Diabetes Care, 2011.

Details: 418 non-diabetic participants in the PREDIMED study were assessed after 4 years, looking at their risk of having developed type 2 diabetes.

Results: 10 and 11% of the individuals in the Mediterranean diet groups became diabetic, compared to 17.9% in the low-fat control group. The Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 52%.

Conclusion: A Mediterranean diet without calorie restriction appears to be effective in preventing the development of type 2 diabetes.

1.5 Estruch R, et al. Effects of a Mediterranean-Style Diet on Cardiovascular Risk Factors. Annals of Internal medicine, 2006.

Details: 772 participants in the PREDIMED study were analyzed with regards to cardiovascular risk factors, after a study period of 3 months.

Results: The Mediterranean diet caused improvements in various cardiovascular risk factors, including blood sugar levels, blood pressure, Total:HDL Cholesterol Ratio, and C-Reactive Protein (CRP).

Some more details:

Blood Sugar: Went down by 0.30-0.39 mmol/L in the Mediterranean diet groups.
Systolic Blood Pressure: Went down by 5.9 and 7.1 mmHG in the Mediterranean diet groups.

Total:HDL Ratio: Went down by 0.38 and 0.26 in the Mediterranean diet groups, compared to the low-fat group.

C-reactive protein: Went down by 0.54 mg/L in the Med + Olive Oil group, but did not change in the other groups.

Conclusion: Compared to a low-fat control group, a Mediterranean diet can have beneficial effects on various risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

1.6 Ferre GM, et al. Frequency of nut consumption and mortality risk in the PREDIMED nutrition intervention trial. BMC Medicine, 2013.

Details: 7216 participants in the PREDIMED study were evaluated after 5 years.

Results: After 5 years, a total of 323 people had died, with 81 cardiovascular deaths and 130 cancer deaths. Consuming nuts was linked to a 16-63% lower risk of death during the study period.

Conclusion: Consuming nuts was associated with a significantly reduced risk of death over a period of 5 years.

2. De Lorgeril M, et al. Mediterranean Diet, Traditional Risk Factors, and the Rate of Cardiovascular Complications After Myocardial Infarction: Final Report of the Lyon Diet Heart Study. Circulation, 1999.

Details: This study enrolled 605 middle-aged men and women who had suffered a heart attack.

They were split into two groups, a Mediterranean-type diet (supplemented with an Omega-3 rich margarine) and a “prudent” Western-type diet, and followed for 4 years.

Results: After 4 years, the group eating the Mediterranean diet was 72% less likely to have gotten a heart attack, or died from heart disease.

Conclusion: A mediterranean diet supplemented with Omega-3s may be effective at preventing heart attacks in people who have already had heart attacks (secondary prevention).

3. Esposito K, et al. Effect of a Mediterranean-Style Diet on Endothelial Dysfunction and Markers of Vascular Inflammation in the Metabolic Syndrome. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2004.

Details: 180 patients with metabolic syndrome were randomized to follow either a Mediterranean diet or a “prudent” low-fat diet for 2.5 years.

Results: At the end of the study, 44% of patients in the Mediterranean diet group still had metabolic syndrome, compared to 86% in the control group. The Mediterranean diet group also had improvements in several risk factors.

Some more details:

Weight loss: Body weight decreased by 4.0 kg (8.8 lbs) in the Mediterranean diet group, compared to 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs) in the low-fat control group.

Endothelial function score: Improved in the Mediterranean diet group, but remained stable in the low-fat control group.

Other markers: Inflammatory markers (hs-CRP, IL-6, IL-7 and IL-18) and insulin resistance decreased significantly in the Mediterranean diet group.

Conclusion: A Mediterranean diet appears to be effective in reducing metabolic syndrome and other cardiovascular risk factor.

4. Shai I, et al. Weight Loss with a Low-Carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or Low-Fat Diet. The New England Journal of Medicine, 2008.

Details: 322 obese individuals were randomly assigned to a calorie restricted low-fat diet, a calorie restricted Mediterranean diet, or an unrestricted low-carb diet.

Results: The low-fat group lost 2.9 kg (6.4 lbs), the low-carb group lost 4.7 kg (10.3 lbs) and the Mediterranean diet group lost 4.4 kg (9.7 lbs).

Diabetic participants had improved blood glucose and insulin levels on the Mediterranean diet, compared to the low-fat diet.

Conclusion: A Mediterranean diet may be more effective for weight loss and improving symptoms of diabetes, when compared to a low-fat diet.

5. Esposito K, et al. Effects of a Mediterranean-Style Diet on the Need for Antihyperglycemic Drug Therapy in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2009.

Details: 215 overweight people who had recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to a low-carb Mediterranean diet, or a low-fat diet. This study went on for 4 years.

Results: After 4 years, 44% of the Mediterranean diet group and 70% of the low-fat diet group had needed treatment with medication.

The Mediterranean diet group had more favorable changes in glycemic control and heart disease risk factors.

Conclusion: A low-carb Mediterranean diet may delay or prevent the need for drug therapy in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

Controlled Trials That Were Not Included

Two controlled trials (, II) were not included because they were small and short in duration compared to the other 5 studies.

Risk of Death (Mortality)

Two of the studies, the PREDIMED study and the Lyon Diet Heart study, were both large enough and long enough to get results about mortality, or the risk of death during the study period (1.1 and 2).

In order to make the comparison easier, I combined the two Mediterranean diet arms of the PREDIMED study (Olive oil vs Nuts) into one.

In the Lyon Diet Heart Study, the Mediterranean diet group was 45% less likely to die over the 4 year period (compared to the low-fat group). This study is often hailed as the most successful diet intervention trial in history.

The Mediterranean diet group in the PREDIMED study was 9.4% less likely to die, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Risk of Death From Cardiovascular Disease (Heart Attacks and Strokes)

Both the PREDIMED and Lyon Diet Heart Study (1.1 and 2) looked at mortality from heart attacks and strokes.

Mediterranean Diet and Cardiovascular Mortality

As you can see, the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was reduced by 16% in the PREDIMED study (not statistically significant) and 70% in the Lyon Diet Heart Study.

The risk of stroke was reduced by 39% in the PREDIMED study (31% with olive oil and 47% with nuts), which was statistically significant. In the Lyon Diet Heart Study, 4 people in the low-fat group had a stroke, compared to 0 in the Mediterranean diet group.

Weight Loss

The Mediterranean diet is usually not prescribed as a weight loss diet, it is rather seen as a healthy diet that can help prevent cardiovascular disease and premature death.

That being said, people usually tend to lose some weight on the Mediterranean diet.

Three of the papers reported weight loss numbers (3, 4, 5):

In every study, the Mediterranean group lost more weight than the low-fat group, but it was only statistically significant in one of the studies (3).

Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes

Several of these studies showed that the Mediterranean diet can have benefits for people with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

The PREDIMED study (1.2) showed that a Mediterranean diet with nuts helped 13.7% of patients with metabolic syndrome reverse their condition.

Another paper from the same study (1.4) showed that the Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 52%.

Esposito, 2004 (3) showed that the diet helped reduce insulin resistance, one feature of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

The Shai study (4) showed that the Mediterranean diet improved blood glucose and insulin levels compared to the low-fat diet.

Esposito, 2009 (5) showed that the diet could delay or prevent the need for drugs in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

It seems pretty clear that the Mediterranean diet is a much better option for type 2 diabetic patients than a low-fat diet.

Number of People Who Dropped Out of The Studies

All studies reported dropout rates. That is, the percentage of people who abandoned the study.

No clear patterns emerged in the dropout rates between the Mediterranean and the low-fat diet.

Take Home Message

It seems clear from looking at the evidence that the Mediterranean diet is very healthy and may help prevent some of the world’s leading killers.

It is obviously a much better option than the standard low-fat diet that is still being recommended all around the world.

Miembros de la Policía extraen de el Ordenador Del Apartamento Donde La Joven HA permanecido secuestrada de Durante DOS años.

Japan.-両親の捜索、ネットで知り脱出決意…誘拐の少女

2016年03月29日 07時06分

２０１４年３月に行方不明になり、約２年ぶりに保護された埼玉県朝霞市の当時中学１年の女子生徒（１５）が監禁中、両親が自分の行方を捜していることをインターネットで知り、逃げ出そうと決意したことが、捜査関係者などへの取材でわかった。

県警は２８日、未成年者誘拐容疑で逮捕状を取った東京都中野区、職業不詳寺内樺風かぶ容疑者（２３）の身柄を静岡県伊東市で確保したと発表した。寺内容疑者は入院したため、県警は回復を待って逮捕する。

女子生徒の両親は約２年間、情報提供を求めるチラシ配りを朝霞市などで約２０回、講演も県内外で３０回以上行ってきた。女子生徒は保護された後、捜査員に「捜してくれている。逃げなければと思った」と説明したという。Secue

イブラヒモビッチがプレミア移籍を示唆

Japan.-サッカーのフランス１部、パリ・サンジェルマン（ＰＳＧ）のスウェーデン代表ＦＷイブラヒモビッチが２７日、「プレミアは世界最高リーグ」と今年夏にイングランド・プレミアリーグに移籍することを示唆した。２８日のイタリア主要スポーツ紙電子版が報じた。

　代表合宿中の会見で語ったもの。イブラヒモビッチは既に今季限りでＰＳＧを退団すると話しており、移籍先に注目が集まっている。「プレミアは最も重要なリーグ。とても興味深い。この夏のメルカートはにぎやかになる。まぁ、長い目で見て辛抱強く待ってくれ。報道しなきゃならないことがたくさん出てくるぜ」とメディアに“予告”した。

　イタリア１部（セリエＡ）でもプレー経験はあるが復帰の可能性は少ないとみられ、具体的な移籍先としてチェルシー、マンチェスター・ユナイテッドなどが噂されているIbraimovic

El secreto mejor guardado de Johan Cruyff

Cruyff, en el Camp Nou, durante un partido de la temporada 1977-78.

El impacto de Johan Cruyff en el Mundial de 1974 resultó tan brutal que aquella final perdida en Múnich aún se recuerda como la más dulce de las derrotas. Fue tan hondo el calado, tan relevante la repercusión de su fútbol, como incomprensible y misteriosa su ausencia, cuatro años después, en la Copa del Mundo de Argentina. Una decisión que marcó para siempre su carrera y que sólo pudo digerir y explicar 30 años más tarde. Un drama personal donde el genio antepuso la familia a la pasión.

Cruyff jugó el último de sus 48 partidos con Holanda en Wembley, un 9 de febrero de 1977. A punto de cumplir la treintena, lució el brazalete de capitán y lideró el histórico 0-2, decidido con goles de Jan Peters. El templo inglés del fútbol no había asistido a una lección similar desde aquel 3-6 de los húngaros en 1953. Era la primera victoria holandesa ante los inventores del juego, la prueba fehaciente de que aquella Naranja Mecánica seguía cargada de presente y futuro.

Sin embargo, a finales de aquel 1977, Cruyff decidió abandonar su selección.

Algunos hablaron de un conflicto abierto con la Federación (KNVB) a propósito de las primas, una de esas guerras habituales en aquel grupo plagado de rebeldes con y sin causa. Otros se decantaron por la postura del activista político, renuente a jugar en una Argentina aterrorizada por los crímenes de Jorge Videla. "Johan se definía como un hombre 'social', ni de derechas ni de izquierdas. En cualquier caso, creía en las sociedades libres y democráticas", aseguraba el sábado su amigo Jordi Finestras, en declaraciones a AFP.

Van der Kerkhof, Rep, Krol, Neeskens, Resenbrink...

Esta tesis, sostenida durante décadas, quedó derrumbada en 2008 por el protagonista de la historia. "Si hubiese tenido que ver con la política, no habría jugado en España durante la dictadura de Franco", reveló durante una entrevista con el diario peruano Deporte Total. "Ya estaba cansado y con la sensación de que mi etapa había terminado", desarrolló El Flaco, en unas palabras que no casan nada bien con los hechos. Con Holanda, rodeado de Willi van der Kerkhof, Johnny Rep, Ruud Krol, Johan Neeskens o Rob Resenbrink, la revancha de 1974 parecía más que factible.

Sin embargo, en Barcelona las cosas no funcionaban tan bien.

En la primavera de 1978, la Liga se escapaba sin remedio por cuarta temporada consecutiva. En apenas una semana, el Barcelona encadenó cuatro tropiezos que engordaron su leyenda negra, la de un equipo tan frágil de moral como cargado de talento. A las derrotas en el Pizjuán (2-1) y Eindhoven (3-1), que desencadenaría la eliminación en la Copa de la UEFA, se sumó el pinchazo en el Camp Nou ante el Espanyol (1-1) y la debacle del Bernabéu (4-0). Aquel infausto miércoles, cuando el doblete de Henning Jensen, Johan causó baja por acumulación de amarillas y Neeskens por lesión.

Consuelo menor

Sólo dos semanas más tarde, consuelo menor, Cruyff regresaría a Chamartín para recoger el trofeo de Copa de manos del Rey Juan Carlos. Un premio de consolación tras una final menor ante Las Palmas, decidida con dos goles de Charly Rexach y otro de Juan Manuel Asensi (3-1). "Majestad, estoy cansado", espetó al monarca cuando éste se interesó por el que ya sabía su último partido con la zamarra azulgrana. Nuevos horizontes, nuevos rumbos en su vida. Primero unos meses sabáticos. Luego, la balbuciente liga de Estados Unidos. Esa era la explicación oficial, al menos.

No obstante, la realidad admitía otros matices.

La explicación de todo, la génesis de todas las decisiones posteriores, se remonta a una noche de septiembre de 1977. "Alguien entró en mi piso de Barcelona y me puso un rifle en la cabeza", relató el propio Johan en Catalunya Radio. "Me ataron y a mi mujer también", detalló el hombre que había revolucionado el fútbol de la mano de Rinus Michels.

Habían pasado tres décadas y al fin podía hablar sobre lo sucedido. "La policía escoltaba a mis hijos hasta el colegio y también tuve vigilancia privada durante unos cuantos meses. Y llega un momento que dices basta. Hay momentos en que hay otros valores en la vida". Instantes decisivos que le apartaron de aquella final en el Monumental de Buenos Aires y aquel terrible gol a trompicones de Mario Kempes.

Trump o la gran expulsión.

Esta es la pesadilla de Sophie: que un día cualquiera se aparezcan agentes del Servicio de Inmigración en su casa de dos cuartos en Los Ángeles, se lleven a sus papás y los deporten a México.

Sophie Cruz tiene 6 años y nació en California de padres indocumentados originarios de Oaxaca. A pesar de su edad, Sophie comprende perfectamente la diferencia entre ella y sus padres. Por eso, cuando el Papa Francisco visitó Washington en septiembre, ella rompió el estricto cordón de seguridad, se acercó al papamóvil y logró darle una carta al Pontífice argentino. El Papa tomó la carta –en que ella le pedía que protegiera a sus papás de una deportación– y le dio un beso en la mejilla.

Así Sophie se hizo famosa.

Su sonrisa te desbarata. Suele vestirse con trajes de colores con motivos indígenas y tiene una memoria prodigiosa. Cuando la conocí, hace unos días, me declamó un poema por varios minutos –‘No te rindas...’– y luego me hizo un dibujo con la frase ‘Never give up’. Ese fue mi regalo de cumpleaños: una niña de 6 años dándome una verdadera lección de liderazgo y de valentía. (A mis 58 tengo todavía mucho que aprender. Aquí está mi video con Sophie: http://bit.ly/1q4S3Li).

El plan de Donald Trump, si llega a la Presidencia, es deportar en dos años a los papás de Sophie y a 11 millones más. Sophie y su hermana menor, a pesar de ser ciudadanas estadounidenses, se tendrían que ir a México también. No podrían quedarse solas. (Hay cuatro millones y medio de niños, nacidos en Estados Unidos, que tienen al menos a una madre o un padre indocumentado).

Aquí estamos hablando de la gran expulsión. Deportar a 11 millones de personas en dos años ocasionaría una multitud de violaciones a los derechos humanos y cambiaría radicalmente la imagen de Estados Unidos en el mundo. Además, sería costosísimo.

Las mayores deportaciones masivas en la historia de Estados Unidos costarían 300 mil millones de dólares, según un estudio de la organización American Action Forum. El número de agentes para detener indocumentados aumentaría de 4 mil 884 a 90 mil 582. Habría que comprar muchas camas en los centros de detención: de 34 mil que hay ahora a 348 mil 831. Y el Gobierno tendría que contratar muchos abogados; en lugar de los 1 mil 430 que existen hoy, necesitarían 32 mil 445.

Las deportaciones masivas serían, en pocas palabras, un desastre económico. En dos años se perderían 10.3 millones de puestos de trabajo y se reduciría el crecimiento económico anual en un billón de dólares (1 trillion, en inglés).

Este es el horror que está proponiendo Donald Trump: deportar a más de 15 mil personas cada día durante 24 meses seguidos. Las cifras así, a secas, son espeluznantes. Pero no dicen nada a menos que conozcas a alguien que puede ser deportado. Y yo conozco a muchas personas que podrían ser deportadas, incluyendo a los papás de Sophie.

La gran expulsión está basada en dos grandes mentiras: una, que hay una invasión en la frontera sur de Estados Unidos. Y dos, que los inmigrantes son los culpables de los problemas económicos y de seguridad del país.

La invasión de Estados Unidos es un mito. El número de indocumentados –alrededor de 11 millones– se ha mantenido estable en los últimos siete años. No hay ninguna invasión y la frontera está más segura y con más agentes que nunca.

También es falso que los indocumentados están afectando la seguridad y los bolsillos de los estadounidenses. Los inmigrantes sin papeles pagan impuestos, crean trabajos y hacen las labores que los estadounidenses no quieren; contribuyen mucho más a la economía que lo que toman de ella.

Y no hay ninguna conexión entre indocumentados y grupos terroristas. Ninguno de los 19 terroristas del 9/11 entró ilegalmente por México. Además, contrario a lo que dicen muchos medios de comunicación en inglés, los inmigrantes suelen cometer menos actos criminales que los nacidos en Estados Unidos (y para comprobarlo, ver los datos del American Immigration Council).

Estamos frente a dos teorías sobre el futuro de Estados Unidos: la de Donald Trump –promoviendo el odio, la división y la gran expulsión– y la de Sophie Cruz, quien quiere mantener junta a su familia y proteger a otros inmigrantes como sus padres.

Y yo le creo más a Sophie.

Maria Sharapova and Chelsea Handler match in black bikinis as they enjoy fun in the sun together on holiday in Mexico

Maria Sharpova is currently serving a suspension after taking a banned Substance and Chelsea Handler is awaiting the debut of her next talk show.

So it only seemed natural that the two stars enjoy their downtime together.

The two titans of the respective fields were spotted taking in a day at the beach during their holiday in Los Cabos, Mexico on Sunday.

Bonding trip: Maria Sharapova and Chelsea Handler were spotted during a holiday in Los Cabos, Mexico on Sunday

Not only did the two find the time to plan a trip of female bonding together, but they even showed their unity by wearing matching black bikinis.

The 28-year-old Russian tennis player looked in tip-top shape as she flaunted her long legs, toned torso and pert derriere in the two-piece.

Maria made sure that she kept herself protected from the sun as she also sported a bucket hat and designer shades during the beach outing.

Wow factor: The 28-year-old Russian tennis player looked in absolutely fantastic shape

Stunning: She looked great in a black bikini with dark green accents

Athlete's figure: She showed off her pert derriere in the clinging swimsuit

Her signature blonde locks were worn down in a braid as she sported natural, complimentary make-up on her face.

Chelsea, 41, showed off her ample cleavage in a sheer black bikini top as her signature blonde locks were done in a messy updo and she sported a pair of black Ray-Ban wayfarer shades.

The two certainly appeared to be having a blast together as they shared several laughs together while working on their tans.

Shady lady: She wore a bucket hat and designer sunglasses

Tasty: She could be seen sipping on a frosty beverage while enjoying the day of fun in the sun

Revealing: She also showed off her washboard abs as she had a big laugh

Maria and Chelsea may seem like unlikely friends but they did team up at a pro am tennis tournament in Los Angeles back in December.

The two ladies definitely work well as a team together as they defeated their male counterparts Will Arnett and Andy Roddick, 3-1, in the exhibition match.

No doubt the trip comes at a good time for the championship tennis player as she was dropped from a slew of endorsements and asked to step down as a United Nations ambassador after she admitted to failing a drug test earlier this month.

Having a blast: The 41-year-old comedienne belted a big laugh with her gal pal

Chill mode: She wore a sheer bikini top as her blonde locks were done in a messy updo

Cool customers: The two certainly seemed to be enjoying the bonding trip

Fun times: The two covered up and carried on with the rest of their Easter Sunday together

As a result Maria, who was the world's highest-paid female athlete, was suspended from ber deals with Nike and Porsche, among other brands.

At a press conference in Los Angeles earlier this month, Maria admitted she had tested positive for meldonium, a drug she had been taking for a decade, during the Australian Open in January.

The International Tennis Federation provisionally suspended her from the sport on March 12, though they haven't said how long her suspension will last.

Chelsea is enjoying some downtime before her upcoming Netflix talk show premieres on May 11.

Having a laugh: The two have a good rapport as Chelsea and Maria were gleeful after thrashing Andy Roddick and Will Arnett at a tennis exhibition in Los Angeles in December

Four play tennis: Only two could be victorious in this epic battle of the sexes