Mediterranean Diet - Greece Index

Mediterranean Diet, the Greeks eat better

vegetables are essential in greek diet 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.

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.