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Mediterranean Diet Can Help You Live Even Longer

ByElena Paravantes, MS, RD

tomato and bread

It is not new that the Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. But what if you are already old? According to data from the HALE Project (The Healthy Aging: a Longitudinal study in Europe) for individuals aged 70 to 90 years, adherence to a Mediterranean diet and healthful lifestyle is associated with a more than 50% lower rate of all-causes and cause-specific mortality. The study included 1507 apparently healthy men and 832 women, aged 70 to 90 years in 11 European countries and the data gathered was from 1988-2000.

In other words even in old age a Mediterranean style diet along with a bit of wine, some physical activity and no smoking, can help someone live longer compared to people who did not follow this diet along with the other factors. The researchers note that it is particularly important for older persons to adopt diet and lifestyle practices that minimize their risk of death from morbidity and maximize their prospects for healthful aging.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and you can read it in full by clicking here.

Photo for flickr by food thinkers

Elena Paravantes, MS, RDN is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist by the U.S. Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). She is an expert on the Mediterranean Diet. She has been active as a clinician, consultant, author and lecturer for 20 years, both in the U.S. and Greece. An expert on the Greek Mediterranean Diet, her interviews and articles have been published in many publications including CNN, U.S. News and World Report, Prevention, NPR, and Shape. Elena has collaborated with a number of organizations including Loyola University, Yale University, University of Missouri, Louisiana State University, and the American College of Greece. Elena earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Dietetics and her Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She holds has a Master’s Degree of Science in Health Management.

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4 Comments

  1. Although I agree with you I have a proviso that is the quality of the produce, we in the west expect to have access to all produce all year round for example Tomatoes in winter . In Greece they eat what is in season which reduces the amount of additives and chemicals in there diet this point is equally as important if not more so than the diet itself.

    Reply

    1. Ari, You are right produce is important. Unfortunately here in Greece as well, more and more Greeks are eating out of season fruit and vegetables, because they are available in large super markets-including tomatoes in winter. It appears that the older generations (who still follow the mediterranean diet) are the ones buying in-season produce from the open markets, rather then the younger generations.In the end we must make a conscious decision to eat seasonal, regardless of what is offered in the super markets.