Will the Modified Mediterranean Diet Extend Your Life?

[Coleus]

Will the Modified Mediterranean Diet Extend Your Life?

Evidence has been gathering in support of the Mediterranean diet's health benefits. In fact, many health experts consider the Mediterranean one of the healthiest diets around, which was why the most recent news was not at all surprising ...

Following a modified version of the Mediterranean diet -- high in fish, fruits and vegetables -- could extend one's life, according to a study.

The Mediterranean Diet's Effect on the Elderly

Researchers surveyed a diverse group of some 75,000 men and women, aged 60 and over, from nine European countries based on following a modified version of the diet -- substituting monounsaturated fats, which are found in olive oil, seeds and nuts, with plant-based unsaturated fats.

Participants followed the modified diet and their devotion to that diet was measured using a recognized 10-point scale:

• Those who more closely followed the modified diet significantly lowered their mortality rate.

• A two-point increase on the scale reduced one's risk of death by 8 percent, while a three- or four-point increase was linked to a reduction of 11 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

Moreover, the link between diet and longevity was strongest in Greece and Spain, where the diets are typically Mediterranean, and weakest in northern Italy, where traditional diets diverge from the Mediterranean diet, explained researchers.

British Medical Journal April 30, 2005;330(7498)

[apackof2]

Don't forget the olive oil

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

I guess my evening ice cream bars don't qualify,huh?