Mediterranean Diet Improves Health and Reduces Risk of Many Illnesses

by | Oct 10, 2008 | 2008, Cancer, Cardiovascular Health, Mediterranean Diet, Parkinson's

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Adherence to the mediterranean diet reduced risk of cardiovascular disease 9%, for cancer an average of 6% decreased risk,  for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer Disease, the decreased risk of 13%. 

The Mediterranean Diet is reported to be “a model of healthy eating for its contribution to a favourable health status and a better quality of life” (1). It first gained attention in the Seven Countries Study (2) as a “beneficial role for the main components of the Mediterranean diet on the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases and chronic degenerative diseases”.

Characterized by a high intake of vegetables, fruits and nuts, legumes, fish and cereals, and a low intake of dairy products, meat and junk food and fat, the Mediterranean Diet has been found to elicit a number of health benefits beyond heart health and chronic disease, including increasing antioxidant levels (3),  helping maintain healthy weight (4), lung health (5), and overall health (6). Now a new study (7) has found that the Mediterranean Diet may help promote health across a number of illnesses.

In the study, researchers analyzed 12 studies of more than 1.5 million patients who were followed for a time ranging from 3 to 18 years, examining diet and disease. The studies assigned adherence to the Mediterranean Diet through a point system and then examined risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Parkinson and Alzheimer Disease. For cardiovascular disease, the decreased risk ranged from 7% (8) to 52% (9) and averaged 9% for those with the highest adherence to the Mediterranean Diet. For cancer, those with higher adherence to the Mediterranean Diet had decreased risks ranging from 4% (8) to 12% (10), with an average 6% decreased risk. Finally, for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer Disease, the decreased risk ranged from 7% (11) to 17% (12), with an average decrease of 13%..

For the researchers, “greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with a significant improvement in health status” and “these results seem to be clinically relevant for public health, in particular for encouraging a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern for primary prevention of major chronic diseases.”

Source: Sofi, Francesco, Francesca Cesari, Rosanna Abbate, Gian Franco Gensini, and Alessandro Casini. “Adherence to Mediterranean diet and health status: meta-analysis.” Bmj 337 (2008): a1344.

© 2008, British Medical Journal Publishing Group

Posted October 10, 2008.

References:

  1. Serra-Majem L, Roman B, Estruch R. Scientific evidence of interventions using the Mediterranean diet: a systematic review. Nutr Rev 2006;64:S27-47.
  2. Keys A. Seven countries: a multivariate analysis of death and coronary heart disease. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1980.
  3. Pitsavos C.  Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with total antioxidant capacity in healthy adults: the ATTICA study Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, Sep 2005; 82: 694 – 699.
  4. Trichopoulou A. Mediterranean diet in relation to body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio: the Greek European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Study.  Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, Nov 2005; 82: 935 – 940.
  5. Barros R.  Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and fresh fruit intake are associated with improved asthma control.  Allergy 2008; 63(7):917-923.
  6. Mitrou PN.  Mediterranean Dietary Pattern and Prediction of All-Cause Mortality in a US Population.  Arch Int Med 2007; 167(22): 2461-2468.
  7. Sofi F.  Adherence to Mediterranean diet and health status: meta-analysis.  BMJ  2008;337:a1344, doi: 10.1136/bmj.a1344 (Published 11 September 2008.
  8. Mitrou PN.  Mediterranean dietary pattern and prediction of all-cause mortality in a US population: results from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.  Arch Intern Med. 2007 Dec 10;167(22):2461-8.
  9. Lasheras C.  Mediterranean diet and age with respect to overall survival in institutionalized, nonsmoking elderly people.  Am Jou Clin Nutr 2000 Apr;71(4):987-92.
  10. Benetou V.  Conformity to traditional Mediterranean diet and cancer incidence: the Greek EPIC cohort  British Journal of Cancer (2008) 99, 191–195. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6604418   Published online 1 July 2008.
  11. Gao X, Chen H, Fung TT, et al. Prospective study of Dietary Pattern and Risk of Parkison’s disease. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007;86:1486-94.
  12. Scarmeas N, Stern Y, Tang MX, Mayeux R, Luchsinger JA. Mediterranean diet and risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Ann Neurol. 2006;59:912-921.