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Mediterranean Diet
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Mediterranean Diet, the Greeks eat better
 Researchers
at the University of Athens Medical School, in a major pan-Europe study,
have produced convincing evidence that a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables
and fruit and low in saturated fats can help us live longer.
A Mediterranean diet has long been thought to improve general health
but this particular study of 74,607 men and women aged over 60 shows
that by closely following the diet life can be extended by up to one
year.
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Information on diet, lifestyle, medical history, smoking and physical
activity was collected by the scientists and the men and women were each
given a score based on adherence to a Mediterranean diet, with higher
scores given to those who ate the most foods linked to such a diet.
A healthy man of 60 who closely followed a Mediterranean diet could
expect to live around one year longer than a man of the same age who
did not eat such a diet.
Mediterranean diet not guilty for overweight Greeks
Eating
a traditional Mediterranean diet to protect heart health is unlikely
to lead to weight gain, as some people previously feared, say Greek researchers.
The Mediterranean diet has been reported to increase longevity, protect
against heart disease and may even lower the risk of some cancers.
But some nutritionists have raised concerns that this kind of regime,
rich in olive oil and other unsaturated fats, could lead to overweight
and obesity.
Researchers from the University of Athens gave around 23,600 participants
in the Greek European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
Study a validated food-frequency questionnaire to assess whether they
followed the traditional Mediterranean diet.
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