Large Scale Study on Mediterranean Diet

A new study.

The New England Journal of Medicine,
Volume 348:2599-2608 June 26, 2003 Number 26

Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet and Survival in a Greek Population

Antonia Trichopoulou, M.D., Tina Costacou, Ph.D., Christina Bamia, Ph.D., and Dimitrios Trichopoulos, M.D.

ABSTRACT

Background Adherence to a Mediterranean diet may improve longevity, but relevant data are limited.

Methods We conducted a population-based, prospective investigation involving 22,043 adults in Greece who completed an extensive, validated, food-frequency questionnaire at base line. Adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet was assessed by a 10-point Mediterranean-diet scale that incorporated the salient characteristics of this diet (range of scores, 0 to 9, with higher scores indicating greater adherence). We used proportional-hazards regression to assess the relation between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and total mortality, as well as mortality due to coronary heart disease and mortality due to cancer, with adjustment for age, sex, body-mass index, physical-activity level, and other potential confounders.

Results During a median of 44 months of follow-up, there were 275 deaths. A higher degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduction in total mortality (adjusted hazard ratio for death associated with a two-point increment in the Mediterranean-diet score, 0.75 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.64 to 0.87]). An inverse association with greater adherence to this diet was evident for both death due to coronary heart disease (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.67 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.47 to 0.94]) and death due to cancer (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.76 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.59 to 0.98]). Associations between individual food groups contributing to the Mediterranean-diet score and total mortality were generally not significant.

Conclusions Greater adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet is associated with a significant reduction in total mortality.

Eat Like a Greek

The investigators conclude, “The magnitude of the reduction in mortality associated with greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet is compatible with the reported survival advantage of adult Mediterranean populations over North American and northern European populations.”

'Diet Med' Cuts Cancer, Heart Risks, Study Finds

People who eat a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil and fish have at least a 25 percent reduced risk of dying from heart disease and cancer, researchers reported in a study being published today.

'Mediterranean Diet' Cuts Heart Attack, Cancer Risk

Although olive oil is widely credited with many of the benefits of the diet, the research team, led by Antonia Trichopoulou of the University of Athens Medical School, found that no specific food in the diet appeared to be responsible for the improvement in health.

"Individual components may have small effects that emerge only when the components are integrated into a simple, unidimensional score," the researchers said.

Posted by Dienekes at June 25, 2003 10:10 PM | PermaLink