Promoting and Improving Good Health with Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s.
The Mediterranean diet is rich in olive oil, grains, fruits, nuts, vegetables, and fish, but low in meat, dairy products and alcohol (a modest daily dose of wine is allowed). It is low in saturated fat and high in fiber and monounsaturated fat.
The University of Florence scientists assessed 12 international studies, which collectively included more than 1.5 million participants.
Health and eating habits of these people were tracked from 3 to 18 years.
Compared with people who did not follow the Mediterranean diet strictly, those who did showed a:
- 9% drop in overall mortality.
- 9% drop in deaths from cardiovascular disease.
- 13% reduction in incidence of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
- 6% reduction in cancer.
“Our findings support a simple recommendation: eat in a more Mediterranean way because it reduces the incidence of chronic disease,” the lead researcher, Francesco Sofi told AFP.
Study authors write that they “encourage the Mediterranean diet as a primary prevention of major chronic diseases.”
The findings were published in the British Medical Journal.