New research indicates that people who eat a Mediterranean diet could live longer. Women who ate a diet high in vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, unrefined grains, olive oil, fish, and regular but moderate amounts of wine had longer telomeres, a biomarker of aging.
The study, The Benefits of Running 10 Minutes a Day The BMJ, was the first of its kind to find an association between telomere length and greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet. The team of researchers found that healthy eating, in general, was also associated with having longer telomeres, but the strongest association was observed among the women who adhered to a Mediterranean diet more strictly.
Past research has also ruled in favor of the Mediterranean diet, including indicating that it might reduce one's risk of heart disease by 30 percent.
Researchers found that the difference between those who followed a Mediterranean diet versus those who did not was similar to comparing non-smokers to smokers, or highly active people to relatively sedentary ones. Adherence to a Mediterranean diet, not smoking, and being highly active are all factors that appear to slow biological aging, as measured by telomere length.
Telomeres are DNA sequences that get shorter each time a cell divides. Shorter telomeres are associated with a decreased life expectancy and higher incidence of age-related chronic diseases. Eating a Mediterranean diet does not lengthen telomeres, but it prevents them from shrinking faster than they should.
The researchers analyzed data from 4,676 disease-free women who are participating or have participated in the ongoing Nurses’ Health Study. Researchers had access to information about participants’ leukocyte telomere length and dietary intake, as reported via a questionnaire.
When researchers analyzed intake of each individual food that makes up the Mediterranean diet, they found that no single part of the diet was associated with longer telomere length. It was all of the items in combination that appeared to make the difference.
In addition to being characterized by a high intake of the foods listed above, the Mediterranean diet also involves a low intake of dairy products, meat, and poultry.
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Mediterranean Diet Significantly Reduces Risk For Heart Disease
