Mediterranean Diet Works As A Whole System

Researchers continue to find an association between the Mediterranean diet and increased longevity.

"Overall diet is more important than individual components, with emphasis on moderate—but not excessive—wine consumption, particularly during meals, preference for olive oil as the main added lipid, low consumption of meat, and high consumption of vegetables, fruits, and legumes," author Dr Dimitrios Trichopoulos (Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA).

The researchers examined data from healthy individuals in Greece who participated in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) trial.
The researchers looked at data from the Greek segment of EPIC, from over 23 000 healthy men and women aged 20 to 86 at enrollment. As is typical in the Greek population, many individuals were overweight or obese and many men were smokers. Most were moderately active.

This work confirms that it is not one single component of the Mediterranean diet that is driving reduced risk of mortality. "In order to promote longevity, people have to do several things at the same time. They just can't focus on one food—just eat blueberries or take a folic-acid pill. It's a whole lifestyle, whole diet approach for health promotion," say Dr. Teresa Fung of the Harvard School of Public Health.