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Mediterranean Diet Extends Lives

Menu featuring fish, fruits, veggies, nuts lowers risk of deadly diseases

By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 11, 2007 11:55 AM CST
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(Newser) – The Mediterranean diet—rich in fish, fruits, vegetables, and nuts but low in meat and dairy—could help Americans live longer, Reuters reports. Adults whose diets were closest to the Mediterranean ideal were 21% less likely to die over a 5-year period than those whose diets were least Mediterranean-like, according to a new study involving nearly 400,000 people.

The benefit of the diet was especially strong for normal-weight smokers, who nearly halved their risk of death. "These results provide strong evidence for a beneficial effect of higher conformity with the Mediterranean dietary pattern on risk of death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease and cancer, in a US population," said the lead researcher.

Sicilian chef Filippo La Mantia, an expert in Mediterranean cuisine, speaks during an interview in a restaurant in downtown Rome, on Thursday, June 21, 2007. New research shows the Mediterranean diet can add years to people's lives.(AP Photo/Ivan Tortorella)
Sicilian chef Filippo La Mantia, an expert in Mediterranean cuisine, speaks during an interview in a restaurant in downtown Rome, on Thursday, June 21, 2007. New research shows the Mediterranean diet...   (Associated Press)
Italica Extra Virgin Olive Oil Enriched with Omega-3. (PRNewsFoto/Italica Imports)
Italica Extra Virgin Olive Oil Enriched with Omega-3. (PRNewsFoto/Italica Imports)   (Associated Press)
Farmer Tom Towers holds up a bottle of his olive oil in his olive orchard at his farm in Martinez, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2007. Powers, 67, will produce authentic extra virgin olive oil with a distinctive peppery finish, but he and other olive farmers are worried that shoppers will...
Farmer Tom Towers holds up a bottle of his olive oil in his olive orchard at his farm in Martinez, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2007. Powers, 67, will produce authentic extra virgin olive oil with a distinctive...   (Associated Press)
Olives are an important component of the Mediterranean diet, which researchers say extends Americans' lives.
Olives are an important component of the Mediterranean diet, which researchers say extends Americans' lives.   (KRT Photos)
Marcella Hazan cooks peppers in olive oil in her kitchen at her home in Longboat Key, Florida, on January 11, 2005.
Marcella Hazan cooks peppers in olive oil in her kitchen at her home in Longboat Key, Florida, on January 11, 2005.   (KRT Photos)
A netting with lobster, grouper and scorpion fish, caught in the waters off southern Italy. New research shows the Mediterranean diet can add years to people's lives.(AP Photo/Ivan Tortorella)
A netting with lobster, grouper and scorpion fish, caught in the waters off southern Italy. New research shows the Mediterranean diet can add years to people's lives.(AP Photo/Ivan Tortorella)   (Associated Press)
Sicilian chef Filippo La Mantia prepares octopus linguine with orange juice and almond pesto, without garlic, in a restaurant in downtown Rome, on Thursday, June 21, 2007. New research shows the Mediterranean diet can add years to people's lives.(AP Photo/Ivan Tortorella) (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
Sicilian chef Filippo La Mantia prepares octopus linguine with orange juice and almond pesto, without garlic, in a restaurant in downtown Rome, on Thursday, June 21, 2007. New research shows the Mediterranean...   (Associated Press)
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Exercise has a similarly positive effect: study
WebMD

A closer look at the methodology
Telegraph (UK)

Full text of study
Archives of Internal Medicine Subscription

 
cancer • cardiovascular disease • Dr. Panagiota N. Mitrou • University of Cambridge • Archives of Internal Medicine • Mediterranean diet

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