The Mediterranean diet has been found to reduce the risk of death from all causes in women by almost a quarter.
A study of more than 25,000 healthy, middle-aged American women with an average age of 55 found that following a diet rich in fish, legumes, vegetables, nuts and whole grains was associated with a 23 percent lower risk of death by the end of the twentieth century. the 25-year study.
Each woman was surveyed annually about their adherence to the diet, and those who adhered to it rigorously over that 25-year period enjoyed a 16 percent lower risk of death from any cause.
The Mediterranean diet, which has been crowned the best diet for seven years in a row, has been shown to reduce inflammation in the body, improve the body’s insulin regulation and control weight. All this protects against heart disease, dementia and cardiovascular disease. diabetes mellitus.
The diet is common in Greece, ItalyAnd Spaincountries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
The diet is based on the diets of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, with an emphasis on vegetables, healthy fats such as olive oil and nuts, and protein from fish and beans
Researchers found that women with a high adherence score of six or higher were 23 percent less likely to die from any cause, while women with a score of four or five had a 16 percent lower risk.
The latest study from Harvard University is among the largest, with 25,315 women involved, and perhaps the longest-running study, having followed the women for more than two decades.
At the start of the study, women completed health questionnaires about their dietary habits, health, height and weight to calculate BMI.
They also had their blood pressure assessed.
Participants completed health questionnaires every six months for the first year and annually thereafter.
Researchers assigned scores for diet adherence on a scale of zero to nine, with a higher score indicating that the woman adhered closely to the diet.
The score was based on intake of nine dietary components, including high intake of vegetables (except potatoes), fruit, nuts, whole grains, fish and monounsaturated fats.
If a woman ate less red and processed meat, she received points. If their alcohol consumption dropped between five and fifteen grams per day, they received an extra point.
Participants were then divided into three categories based on their scores, with low adherence scores ranging from zero to three, intermediate adherence scores a four or five, and high adherence scores between six and nine.
Over about 25 years, researchers counted 3,879 deaths, including 935 from heart disease and 1,531 from cancer.
Women with a high adherence score of six or higher were 23 percent less likely to die from all causes, while women with a score of four or five had a 16 percent lower risk.
The researchers said: ‘Our results suggest that part of the lower mortality risk can be explained by several cardiometabolic risk factors, in particular biomarkers related to metabolism, inflammation, TRL pathways, insulin resistance and BMI.
They added: ‘Most of the potential benefit of following the Mediterranean diet and mortality remains unexplained, and future studies should investigate other pathways that could potentially mediate the lower mortality associated with the Mediterranean diet, as well as should investigate cause-specific mortality.’
Their research was published in the journal JAMA network opened.
Few diets are as beloved by doctors as the Mediterranean diet. In addition to reducing the risk of heart disease, obesity and dementia, it has a protective effect against stroke and can extend a person’s life.
A 2016 study in the journal Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care reported that people who followed the diet lived about four and a half years longer than those who did not.
It’s meant to be as enjoyable as it is simple. It prescribes eating lots of fruits and vegetables, cutting back on red meat and consuming fats, especially extra virgin olive oil, nuts, peanuts, olives and avocados.
The diet also recommends exercise, the first food pyramid to do so. The recipe is based on the lifestyle of people in Mediterranean countries, especially Sardinia, Italy and Ikaria, Greece.
Both are considered Blue Zones: areas of the world where people consistently live to be 100 years old. People in Blue Zones plant gardens, go for walks with other members of their community, dance with friends and perform manual labor that anchors them in their environment.