Mediterranean Diet Prolongs Life, You Can Start Even At Old Age

Mediterranean diet prolongs life, you can start even at old age

The benefits of the Mediterranean diet are well known. In a new study, the authors focused on its effects on people over 65 and found encouraging results.

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The Mediterranean diet is the secret to longevity for seniors. These findings, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, were drawn by researchers from the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of the IRCCS Neuromed in Molise, Italy.

Scientists tracked the relationship between traditional Mediterranean diet and mortality in a sample of 5,200 people over 65 who participated in the Moli-sani study. The observations were carried out for 8 years.

In addition to these data, they also analyzed six other epidemiological studies conducted in different countries, for a total of 12,000 people over 65 years of age.

The Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes. It is rich in olive oil and grains, but low in meat and dairy products. In addition, the diet includes moderate consumption of wine with meals.

According to a study, a Mediterranean diet can significantly reduce the risk of mortality among the elderly. The transition to such a diet, even at a later age, significantly increases the chances of avoiding premature death - by 24% for men and 29% for women.

“The novelty of our study is to focus our attention on the population over 65,” said epidemiologist Marialaura Bonaccio, the first author of the study. “We already knew that the Mediterranean diet could reduce the risk of mortality in the general population, but we didn't know if it would be the same for the elderly. Now, data from the Moli-sani study clearly show that the traditional Mediterranean diet is associated with a 25% reduction in all-cause mortality, and this effect persists when we consider cardiovascular or cerebrovascular mortality separately.”

“Through the meta-analysis method, we were able to confirm that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet reduces the overall risk of mortality in a dose-dependent, progressive form. In other words, the more you follow the Mediterranean diet, the greater the benefit in terms of reducing your risk of death,”says Licia Iakoviello, head of the Laboratory of Molecular and Food Epidemiology at Neuromeda and professor at the University of Insubria, Varese.

The foods that provide the most protection in the Mediterranean-style dietary model include olive oil (rich in monounsaturated fats), fish, and alcohol with meals.

These results confirm the observations noted in numerous epidemiological and metabolic studies that moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages, while following a Mediterranean diet, is a protective factor for health.

“We believe our data has delivered an important message from a public health perspective,” said department director Giovanni de Gaetano. - With the progressive aging of the world's population, we know that in a few years people over 65 will make up about a quarter of Europeans, so it is necessary to study and determine those modifiable factors that can guarantee not only a long life span, but also an acceptable quality of life. We say that we should add life to years, not years to life. Our work is a solid foundation for the promotion of a healthy diet based on the principles of the Mediterranean diet, even among the elderly.”