The Mediterranean diet was recently awarded UNESCO recognition for heritage.

A new research project undertaken by a group of scientists at the Maastricht University in Holland shows that following a Mediterranean diet could play a big part in helping women to live as much as fifteen years longer. They also said that men who followed similar lifestyle patterns could live up to eight years longer. The researchers said that not smoking and getting regular exercise was also part of the longevity package but that a Mediterranean diet full of olive oil, fruit and veg, nuts, fish and whole grains was essential.

The research involved examining the medical records of around 120,000 men and women who were between the ages of 55 and 69 in 1986 and keeping track of them. Professor Piet van den Brandt who was involved in the study said only a few previous research projects had looked at the link between lifestyle indicators and longevity like this. In fact however one only needs to look at the longevity statistics in Mediterranean areas to know that the Mediterranean diet must be doing something good!

Interestingly it was observed that a Mediterranean diet had a bigger impact on the health of women than it did on men and that a low alcohol intake was also important for longevity. Other research projects have shown how consuming a Mediterranean diet can keep your arteries free from blockage and thus reduce the likelihood of you suffering from strokes, heart attacks and other forms of heart disease.

This research which was published by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition adds to the weight of evidence which shows that the Mediterranean diet does not just help you to stay in shape but that it is arguably the healthiest lifestyle diet for anyone to follow.

The Mediterranean diet was recently awarded UNESCO recognition for heritage.