The Best Diet for Life

This topic was published in the Pheladelphia Inquirer by Dr. Ranit Mishori.

The MEDITERRANEAN diet is among the most highly recommended eating plans. But which of its components brings the biggest benefits? In a recent study in the British Medical Journal, researchers tracked 23,000 adults in Greece. They found that eating a lot vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes(like beans and peas) had the greatest impact on increasing longevity. Also associated with a longer lifespan: consuming moderate amounts of alcohol and less meat. Surprisingly, a high intake of cereals and seafood had little to no positive effect.

In related researh, a study in the Archives of Neurology showed that the Mediterranean diet reduced people's risk of experiencing dementia or of its progressing. In a group of adults with no dementia symptoms at the study's start, those who most closely adhered to the Mediterranean diet had 28% lower risk of developing cognitive impairment. In a group that already had impairment, the people who best followed the plan had a 48% lower risk of getting full-blown Alzheimer's disease.