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The benefits of the diet lay in the 'antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects' of the food, researchers said Photo: REX |
6:20PM GMT 22 Dec 2011
13 CommentsEating large quantities of vegetables and fish along while keeping animal-based products like meat and milk in moderation could boost the chance of living longer by 20 per cent, experts said.
The ability of the high-fibre, low-fat diet to reduce the risk of illnesses like heart disease and cancer has long been known, and last year it was granted World Heritage status by Unesco.
The latest study, published by University of Gothenburg researchers in the Age journal, compared its effects on longevity in thousands of 70-year-olds in the local area over more than 40 years.
Gianluca Tognon, one of the authors, said: "This means in practice that older people who eat a Mediterranean diet live an estimated two to three years longer than those who don't."
Three separate studies into the same diet and its impact on health by Gothenburg researchers, which have not yet been published, backed up the report's findings.
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One examined the benefits of the diet on people in Denmark, one on people in the north of Sweden and one on children.
Mr Tognon, a native Italian, said: "The conclusion we can draw from these studies is that there is no doubt that a Mediterranean diet is linked to better health, not only for the elderly but also for youngsters."
According to Unesco, the Mediterranean diet is based on staples like fish, vegetables, nuts and fruit, but also includes a structure of tradition where knowledge is passed between generations and through communities.
Since the 1950s scientists have studied the diet typical of countries like Italy and Greece after noticing that people in southern European countries enjoyed various health benefits over their northern counterparts.
Earlier this year a review of 50 existing studies, which examined a total of 500,000 people, found that people following the diet were less likely to develop health problems which can cause heart disease such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.
The benefits of the diet lay in the "antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects" of the food, researchers said.
Previous studies have also claimed that the Mediterranean food can protect against cancer and dementia.
The latest research, however, appears to contradict a paper which claimed two years ago that a traditional Nordic diet was just as healthy as a Mediterranean one.
Eating a diet rich in rapeseed oil, cowberries and elk meat was held by Copenhagen University scientists in Denmark to be just as beneficial as consuming more olive oil, citrus fruit and vegetables.
The researchers were so confident in the benefits of their native diet that they established a £12 million project to seek out and test local products which could be incorporated into an approved "New Nordic Diet".
Professor Arne Astrup, the project leader, said at the time: "The plan is to develop a counterpart to the Mediterranean diet that is superior in terms of health effects and palatability."
Mr Tognon, a native Italian, said: "The conclusion we can draw from these studies is that there is no doubt that a Mediterranean diet is linked to better health, not only for the elderly but also for youngsters."
According to Unesco, the Mediterranean diet is based on staples like fish, vegetables, nuts and fruit, but also includes a structure of tradition where knowledge is passed between generations and through communities.
Since the 1950s scientists have studied the diet typical of countries like Italy and Greece after noticing that people in southern European countries enjoyed various health benefits over their northern counterparts.
Earlier this year a review of 50 existing studies, which examined a total of 500,000 people, found that people following the diet were less likely to develop health problems which can cause heart disease such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.
The benefits of the diet lay in the "antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects" of the food, researchers said.
Previous studies have also claimed that the Mediterranean food can protect against cancer and dementia.
The latest research, however, appears to contradict a paper which claimed two years ago that a traditional Nordic diet was just as healthy as a Mediterranean one.
Eating a diet rich in rapeseed oil, cowberries and elk meat was held by Copenhagen University scientists in Denmark to be just as beneficial as consuming more olive oil, citrus fruit and vegetables.
The researchers were so confident in the benefits of their native diet that they established a £12 million project to seek out and test local products which could be incorporated into an approved "New Nordic Diet".
Professor Arne Astrup, the project leader, said at the time: "The plan is to develop a counterpart to the Mediterranean diet that is superior in terms of health effects and palatability."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk
