HEALTH Mediterranean diet increases longevity, study says
Not smoking is also an important factor.
MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
MILWAUKEE -- The secret to long life may be a Mediterranean-style diet along with exercise and a little alcohol, according to a new study that's likely to cause a gulp of uncertainty among Atkins-style dieters.
The study, one of the first to look at the individual and combined effects of diet and lifestyle in older people, found a 23 percent reduction in overall deaths during a 10-year period among those who adhered to a Mediterranean diet.
Similar reductions in deaths also were found among those who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol, primarily wine, at 22 percent lower; engaged in regular physical activity, 37 percent; and did not smoke, 35 percent.
Diet and lifestyle
Those who combined all four -- diet, alcohol, exercise and not smoking -- saw a 65 percent reduction in overall deaths, according to the study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"I think diet and lifestyle play an important role in longevity. Even in old age, it matters if you consume a Mediterranean diet, consume moderate alcohol, are physically active and don't smoke," said Kim Knoops, lead author of the Mediterranean diet study and a researcher with the division of human nutrition at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
For the study, which followed 2,339 people aged 70 to 90 from 11 European countries for 10 years, a Mediterranean diet was defined as one that emphasized whole grains, fish, nuts, legumes, olive oil, fruits, and vegetables and potatoes, but not meat and dairy products.
Atkins diet
In the Atkins diet, now popular among many Americans, red meat typically is not restricted. Conversely, carbohydrates, including those that come from potatoes, many fruits, grains and alcohol, are cut dramatically.
"The Atkins diet focuses on weight loss," Knoops said. "The aim of the Mediterranean diet is to maintain a stable weight."
The problem with the Atkins diet is that even though people can lose weight on it, it's difficult to stay on it for more than a year, said Eric Rimm, an associate professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.
"For centuries, people have lived their lifetimes on the Mediterranean diet," said Rimm, who co-authored an editorial in JAMA accompanying the study.
Metabolic syndrome
A separate study followed 180 people with metabolic syndrome, an increasingly common condition in the United States. The syndrome, which affects nearly 50 million Americans, is defined as having any three of five risk factors for heart disease: excessive abdominal fat; high blood pressure; insulin resistance; high levels of triglycerides; and low levels of HDL cholesterol (the good kind).
Ninety of the patients were put on a Mediterranean diet, and after two years, only 40 still had metabolic syndrome, compared with 78 of the 90 people who were put on a low-fat diet.