Mediterranean diet linked to longer lifespan
Britons who are looking for healthy diet plans following the festive period may want to look to the Mediterranean, after research found that the traditional diet promotes longevity.The much-celebrated dietary regime focuses on vegetables and fish, with fewer animal-based products such as meat and milk.
Scientists at Sweden's Sahlgrenska Academy analysed data on thousands of 70-year-olds, some of whom followed a Mediterranean diet while others ate a regular diet with a greater emphasis on meat products.
They found that people who ate a Mediterranean diet were 20 per cent more likely to live longer than those who did not.
Researcher Gianluca Tognon revealed: "This means in practice that older people who eat a Mediterranean diet live an estimated 2.3 years longer than those who don't."
He concluded that a Mediterranean diet "is linked to better health, not only for the elderly but also for youngsters".
People who are interested in following a traditional Mediterranean diet in the new year should increase their intake of fruit and vegetables, avoid processed foods and eat plenty of healthy fats from fish, nuts and olive oil.
