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It has been long thought that a Mediterranean diet
rich in vegetables and fruits and low in saturated fat can help us live longer.
The traditional diets from the Mediterranean include
a variety of cuisines including those of Southern Italy, Southern France, Spain
and Greece. Although these cuisines vary in flavour there are some common elements,
which include olives, grapes and wheat and their derivatives.
The dishes
are largely plant-based, with grains, seasonal vegetables and fruits, beans and
pulses, nuts and olive oil. Minimal processing and the seasonal use and freshness
of these products,maximise their nutrient content and are packed with vitamins
and minerals, antioxidants and fibre. Despite differences in the levels of dietary
fat intake between the different countries, a high monounsaturated to saturated
fat ratio is a common feature.
A recent study* has shown that older people
who eat a Mediterranean diet can expect certain health benefits and to live longer.
The study was of 74,607 men and women aged over 60 from nine European countries
including the UK.
They collected information on different areas including
diet, lifestyle, medical history, smoking and
physical activity. The men
and women were
each given a score based on adherence to a Mediterranean diet,
with higher scores for
those who ate the most foods linked to
such a
diet.
* Source: British Medical
Journal ‘Modified
Mediterranean diet and
survival: EPIC -
elderly prospective
cohort study’
published
8 April 2005 |
The researchers
found that overall a higher dietary score was linked to a lower overall death
rate. They said that a two-point increase in the score was linked to an 8% reduction
in mortality. A three-point increase was associated with an 11% drop in mortality
and a fourpoint increase was associated with a 14% drop.
This meant a
healthy man of 60 who stuck closely to a Mediterranean diet could expect to live
around one year longer than a man of the same age who did not.
The researchers
said the link was strongest in Greece and Spain probably because people in these
countries followed a genuinely Mediterranean diet. And concluded that a dietary
pattern that resembles that of the Mediterranean is associated with a lower overall
death rate. | | |
| Mediterranean
Diet |  | High
intake of vegetables, fruits and cereals | | Moderate
to high intake of fish | | High
intake of unsaturated fats, such as olive oil. |
| Low
intake of dairy products and meat | | Modest
intake of alcohol, mostly wine is also linked to this diet. | |
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