Mediterranean Diet and Exercise Proven Healthy

mediterranean diet Med Headlines - It’s true. Eating a diet that closely resembles the diet traditionally enjoyed in countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea promotes a longer, healthier life. For added benefit, regular exercise that meets recommended guidelines promotes a longer, healthier life, too.

Analysis of two reports, one on diet and the other focused on exercise, have clearly demonstrated that older people who regularly eat a diet that resembles the Mediterranean diet and get regular exercise are less likely to die from all causes, including cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The joint study, conducted by the National Institutes of Health and AARP and analyzed by the National Cancer Institute, is based on questionnaires returned from AARP members between the ages of 50 and 71. The 566,407 study participants lived in six different states and had no history of chronic disease when they completed the questionnaires in 1995 and 1996.

A five-year follow-up study found those who enjoyed a diet that closely followed a nine-point assessment scale remained generally healthy, with the death rate falling much lower than the general population.

The nine dietary points studied were intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains, meat, fish, monounsaturated fats, and alcohol. Participants whose diets most closely resembled the Mediterranean diet remained healthiest after five years.

Exercise habits proved beneficial, too, and were assessed on a three-tiered basis – vigorous, moderate, and light activity levels.

Study participants achieving vigorous levels of physical activity – a minimum of 20 minutes three times each week – were 32% less likely to die in the five-year study period.

Those receiving moderate exercise – 30 minutes or more many days of the week – were proven to have a reduced risk of death by 27% and those receiving exercise on a regular basis but in smaller amounts enjoyed a 19% reduced risk.

The December 10/24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine has complete details. The publication is one of the journals published by the JAMA/Archives.

Filed under: Cancer, Diet, Exercise, Heart Disease, Prevention