FOLLOWING a Mediterranean diet could slash your risk of an early death by 23 per cent, a study suggests. Scientists found women who ate plenty of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and fish tended to live longer than those who scoffed red meat and beer. Senior author Dr Samia Mora said: "For women who want to live longer, our study says watch your diet.
"The good news is that following a Mediterranean dietary pattern could result in about one quarter reduction in risk of death over more than 25 years." Researchers studied a group of 23,315 healthy women aged 45 and over in the US. As well as providing blood samples, they completed a questionnaire on their food and drink consumption.
Participants were given a score from zero to nine based on how closely they followed the Mediterranean diet . This encompassed their vegetable, fruit, nut, whole grain, legume, fish, red and processed meat, and alcohol intake. There were three levels based on how well their diet adhered to the Mediterranean one : zero to three (low), four to five (intermediate) and six to nine (high).
After 25 years, 3,879 people had died. This included 935 cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths and 1,531 from cancer. Analysis showed a higher Mediterranean diet score was associated with a 23 per cent decreased risk of death from any cause, even when accounting for things like weight and height, as well as smoking, physical activity, booze intake and menopausal factors.
This was especially the case for CVD and cancer. Th.
