Mediterranean Diet May Reduce Risk of Early Death in Women by 23 Percent

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A new study confirms that a diet focused on seafood, olive oil, and other healthy ingredients may help people live a whole lot longer.

 A cornerstone of a Mediterranean diet, fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, as well as being filling while low in calories.

 are significantly less likely to die prematurely than women who don’t, a new study suggests.

Researchers examined medical data and dietary information collected over about 25 years from more than 22,000 women, starting when they were 56 years old on average. During the study period, a total of 3,879 people died.

The women who most closely adhered to a Mediterranean-style diet were 23 percent less likely to die from any cause during the study period than women who rarely if ever ate this way, according to study results published today .

Women who followed this diet less strictly were still 16 percent less likely to die during follow-up than participants who only occasionally ate this way.

In addition, women who most closely followed a Mediterranean diet were 17 percent less likely to die from 

–related causes and 20 percent less likely to die of cancer during the study period.

“This study provides further evidence to support the 

, a professor and chair of the department of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

A Diet Rich in Healthy Foods Can Promote Longevity

 due to the health benefits of the foods it emphasizes, like fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, beans, 

 — but also for the things it discourages people from consuming, like sugary beverages and red or processed meats, says Dr. Hu, who wasn’t involved in the new study.

To assess how often participants ate this way, researchers rated adherence to a Mediterranean diet on a 9-point scale, with 0 indicating a participant never ate this way, and a 9 indicating that they always ate this way. Then, they grouped participants into three categories from lowest adherence to highest.

Even lower scores had longevity benefits, the study findings suggest. Each one-point increase in dietary scores reduced the risk of dying prematurely during follow-up by approximately 5 to 6 percent.

“The more committed [to a Mediterranean diet], the more benefit. But even small changes impact health a lot,” says lead study author 

, an associate professor of epidemiology at Uppsala University in Sweden and an affiliated researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

For people who aren’t familiar with a Mediterranean diet — or comfortable with totally overhauling their usual ways of cooking — Dr. Ahmad suggests starting with simple changes like trying to just get more vegetables on your plate. “If you don’t have time to make a salad, just eat them raw,” Ahmad says.

“To shift from a typical western diet, one can make small and gradual changes,” says Hu. “For example, replacing unhealthy fats like butter and tropical oils with olive oil. Replace red and processed meats with plant proteins like legumes and nuts, as well as fish. Replace refined grains with whole grains.” 

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