Main Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141203084255.htm
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Mediterranean Diet Could Increase Life Span
A team of US researchers conducted an experiment to see whether or not the Mediterranean diet was associated with longer telomere length. The Mediterranean diet is composed of a high intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts olive oil and fish. It consists of a low intake of saturated fats and meat, poultry and dairy products. This diet also consists of a regular amount of alcohol, mostly wine.
The research consisted of taking 4,676 middle aged women from the Nurses' health study. These women got their blood taken to see their telomere length and also answered a food questionnaire. Their scores were on a scale of 0-9 with the higher numbers being more closely related to the Mediterranean diet. The researchers found that the Mediterranean diet was significantly associated with the diet. For each number higher on the scales there was 1.5 years added to the telomere shortening. They also found that none of the individual dietary components were associated with telomere length showing that you have to look at the diet as a whole. The Mediterranean diet has also been linked with reduced mortality and reduced chronic disease.
Main Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141203084255.htm
Main Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141203084255.htm
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This was a very fascinating article to read about. I've never heard of this diet before, but it sounds like it could be very simple to stay consistent with, with all of the fish, fruits, and vegetables you can eat. Also, it's interesting that you're allowed to maintain a regular amount of alcohol. I was surprised that just by sticking to the diet that your telomere shortening is significantly decreased and that it also helps reduced other diseases.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to hear that a diet can influence your genetics. As someone who eats Mediterranean food on a pretty frequent basis, its good to hear that I might live a bit longer! Although, I have a feeling that even though this might help increase your lifespan slightly, a diet like this is most likely related to an overall healthy lifestyle, which would undoubtedly lead to a longer, and more healthy life.
ReplyDeleteThat is very interesting, though not too surprising. After all the food around the Mediterranean is very fresh and an overall healthy choice. It's really cool to see it can help increase a person's lifespan. As for the alcohol, I think the reason regular alcohol consumption is beneficial must be because of wine; red wine especially has many benefits when consumed in moderation. It can help with heart disease and recently might help prevent cancer.
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