Mediterranean Diet Promotes Longevity, Wellness

BILTHOVEN, The Netherlands--While the Mediterranean diet--rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and olive oil--has been linked in population studies with beneficial health effects, two studies in the Sept. 22/29, 2004, issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (http://jama.ama-assn.org) examine its effects in conjunction with additional lifestyle changes on longevity and wellness.

In the first study, researchers reviewed data on 1,507 men and 832 women, aged 70 to 90 years, who were participating in the study The Healthy Ageing: a Longitudinal study in Europe (HALE) (292:1433-39). The main outcome was 10-year mortality from all causes, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Adhering to a Mediterranean diet, moderate alcohol use, physical activity and nonsmoking were associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality and with decreased risks for the individual causes of mortality. In total, adherence to the diet together with a healthy lifestyle was associated with a 50 percent lower rate of all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

More specific health parameters were the subject of the second study, in which researchers from Second University of Naples, Italy, conducted a randomized, single blind trial among 180 patients with metabolic syndrome (292:1440-46). Ninety patients followed a Mediterranean-style diet and received nutrition counseling, while the control group followed a moderate diet similar to the traditional food pyramid. After two years, patients on the Mediterranean-style diet lowered their ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids, significantly reduced their serum concentrations of C-reactive protein, and decreased insulin resistance. At the end of the study, 40 patients in the intervention group had features of metabolic syndrome, compared to 78 patients in the control group with those symptoms. The researchers concluded a Mediterranean diet could reduce the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and decrease its associated cardiovascular risk.