Elixir of life? Mediterranean diet is life lengthening for the elderly, study suggests

03 Sep 2018 --- An Italian study has identified that senior peoples, aged 65 years and older, who adhere closely to the Mediterranean diet have a 25 percent lower risk of any cause of death. The Mediterranean diet is revered for its health benefits, but no meta-analysis has properly investigated the potential health benefits of the diet in relation to mortality in the elderly.

This longitudinal analysis, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, looked at the health and diet of 5,200 peoples aged 65 years and over. The participants were recruited as part of a larger study between 2005 and 2010 and followed up until 2015. During this time, 900 deaths occurred.

The participants filled in questionnaires over this time and they were given scores to reflect how close their diets were to the Mediterranean diet. The results showed that participants who stuck the closest to the healthy diet were also more likely to engage in regular physical activity. Furthermore, these participants had a 25 percent lower risk of any death than those who only scored 0-3 on the scale.

In a meta-analysis of seven prospective studies, including the Italian study’s results, for a total of 11,738 participants and 3,874 deaths, a one-point increment in adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with 5 percent lower risk of all-cause death.

The researchers concluded that from their study and the meta-analysis, adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with prolonged survival in elderly individuals. Therefore suggesting that older persons should adopt, or preserve their adherence to, the Mediterranean diet to maximize their prospects for a longer life. However, they note that as the study used self-reporting methods there could be errors and that the study only reveals a link, as opposed to proving the diet is behind the effect.

The Mediterranean diet
The diet is famous for its inclusion of primarily plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts, its limitation on red meats and olive oil as the primary source of fat. The diet is rooted in the traditional diets of Greece, Southern Italy and Spain in the 1940s and 50s. However, the modern-day diets of these regions largely reflect a diet that has strayed very far from the health-haloed diet touted in this study.

Research into the Mediterranean diet is wide-ranging. Research from the University of East Anglia identified that the diet could reduce hip-bone loss within just 12 months on those with osteoporosis. Furthermore, adopting the diet improves heart health, with or without reducing red meat intake, as long as the red meat consumed is lean and unprocessed, according to a Purdue University nutrition study. The study did not, however, encourage the consumption of red meat in people who otherwise do not eat red meat.

However, despite many studies backing the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, a University of Michigan School of Public Health study advocates for following an overall healthy diet as the best way to promote healthy cellular aging in women, rather than following a particular diet. In this study, the researchers found positive effects from a range of diets, including the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet.