Mediterranean Diet Found to Help Reduce Deaths from Major Chronic Diseases

Keeping to a strict Mediterranean diet provides considerable protection against major chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study.

A score based on adherence to the Mediterranean diet could be used as an effective preventive tool for reducing the risk of premature death in the general population, according to the investigators, who published their research online in the journal BMJ.com on September 15, 2008. The Mediterranean diet, from populations bordering the Mediterranean Sea, has a reputation for being a model of healthy eating and contributing to better health and quality of life. It is rich in olive oil, grains, fruits, nuts, vegetables, and fish, but low in meat, dairy products, and alcohol.

Earlier studies on the Mediterranean diet suggest that it has a protective role in cardiovascular disease and cancer, but no study has reviewed all the available data for a possible link between keeping to the Mediterranean diet, premature death, and the occurrence of chronic diseases in the general population.

A team of researchers from the University of Florence (Italy) evaluated 12 international studies, which together included more than 1.5 million participants whose dietary habits and health were monitored for follow-up periods ranging from three to 18 years. All the studies examined the concept of using a numeric score to estimate how much people stuck to the diet, called an adherence score.

The researchers discovered that individuals who stuck strictly to a Mediterranean diet had significant improvements in their health, including a 9% reduction in overall mortality, a 9% drop in mortality from cardiovascular disease, a 13% decrease in incidence of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, and a 6% reduction in cancer. The researchers suggested that keeping an adherence score based on "a theoretically defined Mediterranean diet could be an effective preventive tool for reducing the risk of mortality and morbidity in the general population.”

The results of this study have significant implications for public health, particularly for reducing the risk of premature death in the general population, concluded the researchers.
The findings confirmed the current guidelines and recommendations from all major scientific institutions that encourage a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern for the prevention of major chronic diseases.

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