Today

A Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables and fruit and low in saturated fats can help people live longer, a pan-European study has shown.

A study of nearly 75,000 men and women aged over 60 and living in nine European countries has shown that following the diet closely can extend life by up to one year.

The Mediterranean diet is characterised by a high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, and cereals and a moderate to high intake of fish.

It also includes a low intake of saturated fats, but high intake of unsaturated fats, particularly olive oil, and a low intake of dairy products and meat, and a modest consumption of alcohol, mostly as wine.

The study is led by scientists at the University of Athens Medical School and has been published in the British Medical Journal.

Information on diet, lifestyle, medical history, smoking, physical activity levels, and other relevant factors was recorded.

The men and women were each given a score based on adherence to a Mediterranean diet, with higher scores for those who ate the most foods linked to such a diet.

The researchers found that overall a higher dietary score was linked to a lower overall death rate. A two point increase corresponded to an 8 per cent reduction in mortality, while a three or four point increase was associated with a reduction of total mortality by 11 or 14 per cent respectively.

So, for example, a healthy man aged 60 who follows the diet closely (dietary score of 6-9) can expect to live about one year longer than a man of the same age who does not adhere to the diet.

The researchers found that the link was strongest in Greece and Spain, probably because people in these countries follow a genuinely Mediterranean diet.

They concluded that following a Mediterranean type diet, which relies on plant foods and unsaturated fats, is associated with a significantly longer life expectancy, and may be particularly appropriate for elderly people, who represent a rapidly increasing group in Europe.