Athens, Greece - A population-based cohort study of individuals in Greece has teased out items in the Mediterranean diet that appear to contribute to the increased longevity associated with this diet [1].
The largest effects on reduced mortality came from drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, eating little meat, eating lots of vegetables, eating fruits and nuts, and using olive oil. However, the individual components of the Mediterranean diet had an additive protective effect.
"Overall diet is more important than individual components, with emphasis on moderate—but not excessive—wine consumption, particularly during meals, preference for olive oil as the main added lipid, low consumption of meat, and high consumption of vegetables, fruits, and legumes," author DrDimitrios Trichopoulos (Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA) told heartwire.
The researchers examined data from healthy individuals in Greece who participated in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) trial.
Although this study did not examine causes of death, previous studies in this cohort showed that the Mediterranean diet has the greatest effect on cardiac mortality, Trichopoulos said.
The study is published online June 24, 2009 in BMJ.
No comments:
Post a Comment