Mediterranean Diet Reduced Risk of Dying by 25%
posted 08/25/03
Every 2-point increase in adherence corresponded to a 33% reduction coronary heart disease mortality and a 24% reduction in cancer mortality.

People who closely follow a traditional Mediterranean diet have a 25% reduced risk of dying, reported Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou of the University of Athens (Greece) and her associates.

The findings are based on a 3.7-year prospective study of 22,043 adults, aged 20-86 years, who lived in Greece. Researchers used a 9-point scale to assess the subjects' degree of adherence to a Mediterranean diet. The diet is characterized by a high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, unrefined cereals, fish, and olive oil; a low intake of meats and dairy products; and a low to moderate intake of alcohol, usually wine taken with meals. Greater adherence to this diet correlated with lower total mortality, so that every 2-point increase in adherence corresponded to a 33% reduction coronary heart disease mortality and a 24% reduction in cancer mortality.

The magnitude of the reduction in mortality was in line with the reported survival advantage that adult Mediterranean populations have over North American and northern European populations that follow a Western diet, the researchers noted.

Source: Diabetes In Control Dot Com: New England Journal of Medicine, 348[26]:2599-608, 2003.

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