Mediterranean Diet for a Longer Life

Yet another study backing the merits of the so called Mediterranean diet, which is characterized by a high consumption of fruit and vegetables, bread, wheat and other cereals, olive oil, fish, and red wine. It is low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber.

According to a study involving around 400,000 people, keeping to a Mediterranean Diet may reduce the risk of dying from cancer and cardiovascular disease by 22 and 17 per cent in men, and 12 per cent for women.

“Conformity with the Mediterranean dietary pattern is associated with high antioxidant capacity and low concentrations of oxidized low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, suggesting that this dietary pattern could be capturing the combined effect of dietary antioxidants, which could, partially, explain a lower risk of mortality.

“The Mediterranean diet also includes other important dietary constituents such as fiber and a low omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio, both of which potentially prevent cancer initiation and progression,” they added.

For further reading, you may want to look up “Mediterranean Dietary Pattern and Prediction of All-Cause Mortality in a US Population – Results From the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study” published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (167(22):2461-2468).