Mediterranean diet `saves lives`
Protection against heart disease, cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s can be had from following a strict Mediterranean diet, a study has found.
A diet rich in in olive oil, grains, fruits, nuts, vegetables and fish, but low in meat, dairy and alcohol, has long been regarded as promoting good health.
The new study now suggests that a score based on sticking to the diet could be used to help cut the chance of an early death from a range of diseases.
Twelve studies of more than 1.5 million people whose health was followed for between three and 18 years were reviewed by experts from the University of Florence.
They found that strictly following the diet reduced the overall risk of dying early by 9%, from cancer by 6% and from cardiovascular disease by 9%. Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s were cut by 13%.
Writing in the British Medical Journal, the authors said: "Greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with a significant improvement in health.
"These results seem to be clinically relevant for public health, in particular for encouraging a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern for primary prevention of major chronic diseases."
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