WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A recent study published in JAMA Network Open found that women who closely followed a Mediterranean diet tended to live longer.
Over a period of 25 years, the study tracked more than 25,000 women in the Women's Health Study and collected data on their diets and biomarkers between 1993 and 1996, with a follow-up between 2018 and 2023. The research focused on initially healthy women who provided blood samples, biomarker measurements, and dietary information.
The results indicated that adhering to the Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of premature death by 23%, lowered the risk of cancer-related death by 17%, and decreased the risk of cardiovascular disease-related death by 20%.
Dr. Samia Mora, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, emphasized the potential longevity benefits of following a Mediterranean diet, highlighting its positive impact on cancer and cardiovascular mortality.
Dr. David Katz, a specialist in preventive and lifestyle medicine, noted that individuals closely following the Mediterranean diet tended to consume more legumes, vegetables, and fruits, and less meat and processed meats. Although the study was observational and could not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship, Katz pointed out that the findings aligned with prior research on the health advantages of the Mediterranean diet. He suggested that a high-quality diet might lead to a lower risk of death.
Despite limitations such as a participant pool mainly comprising middle-aged and older well-educated white women, and the evaluation of dietary adherence through food-frequency questionnaires that could introduce misclassification, a significant portion of the benefits linked to adherence to the Mediterranean diet and mortality remains unexplained.
The study concluded by saying that further investigation into potential pathways and cause-specific mortality is warranted.
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