Living a Mediterranean lifestyle with good food, good friends and plenty of rest can reduce your chance of dying prematurely by 29 percent.
One study suggests that people can live longer by copying the habits of people in countries like Italy and Spain, even if they don’t live there.
Researchers looked at 110,799 people in the UK, aged 40 to 75, who were asked questions about their diet, eating habits and lifestyle.
Scientists found that following the Mediterranean lifestyle, even if you don’t live in that part of the world, can help someone live longer (Stock)
Having a Mediterranean lifestyle was defined as sleeping six to eight hours, socializing with friends and family, not spending too much time hanging out, exercising, exercising with other people, and taking naps.
A Mediterranean diet involved eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, seafood and nuts, while having Mediterranean dietary habits involves limiting the consumption of salt.
When these three categories were taken together, people scored out of 25 for how much they followed a Mediterranean way of life.
The study then compared these scores between people who died, who died specifically of cancer, and those who died of cardiovascular disease, such as heart attack or stroke, after tracking their medical records for an average of nine years.
The quarter of people in the study with the most Mediterranean lifestyle, based on their scores, were 29 percent less likely to die than those with the least Mediterranean lifestyle.
They were 28 percent less likely to die from cancer, the figures showed.
The study’s senior author, Dr Mercedes Sotos Prieto, of the Autonomous University of Madrid and the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, said: ‘This study suggests that it is possible for non-Mediterranean populations to adopt the Mediterranean diet. using locally available products and adopting the general Mediterranean lifestyle within their own cultural context.
“We’re seeing lifestyle transferability and positive health effects.”
It is well known that eating a Mediterranean diet, including plenty of healthy foods such as seafood, fresh produce and legumes, and even a moderate amount of wine, can reduce the risk of premature death – probably due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
But it’s rare for researchers to explore the potential benefits of living the Mediterranean way for people who don’t live in Mediterranean countries.
Researchers looked at volunteers from the UK Biobank study, who answered six questions that could be compared to the Mediterranean lifestyle.
Of these, six to eight hours of sleep per night, limiting time spent lounging around, such as watching television, and participating in collective sports, such as tennis or a running group, were all linked to a lower risk of dying or dying early to go. of cancer.
When all six items were taken together, they reduced the risk of early death, death from cancer, and death from cardiovascular disease.
A Mediterranean lifestyle seemed better than a Mediterranean diet or dietary habits for this.
But, less fortunate for fans of an afternoon siesta, naps alone were not linked to a reduction in the likelihood of dying.
However, this may be because people who nap in the UK often do so because they are sleep deprived or in poor health, which in some cases increases the risk of premature death.
The UK Biobank study also included six questions used to determine whether people had Mediterranean dietary habits.
These included whether they consumed healthy drinks such as tea and coffee, didn’t have too many sugar-sweetened drinks, limited snacks, preferred whole-grain foods, consumed little salt, and limited the salt they added to food.
Having Mediterranean dietary habits was associated with a lower risk of death and a lower risk of cancer death, as was adherence to a Mediterranean diet, which was assessed by people’s consumption of 12 types of food and drink .
The study, published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, was unable to look at olive oil, an important part of the Mediterranean diet, and people may also exaggerate the healthiness of their lifestyle.
But the results suggest that living well, including socializing, which can reduce stress-induced inflammation in the body, is good for longevity.