parts of Sardinia being full of centenarians

After the recent recognition by UNESCO of the Mediterranean Diet, the Sardinian people have been pushing for their own special diet recognition in view of the fact that they say that their diet has been shown to promote longevity. Sardinians who are fiercely independent and who have preserved their culinary heritage for centuries claim that what they eat has led to parts of Sardinia being full of centenarians especially in the central Barbagia Mountains.

The Sardinian diet consists of lot of dairy products including the famous sheeps cheese casu marzu as well as roast lamb and piglet. Casu marzu requires a very strong stomach to eat because it has to be eaten when it is full of maggots. The Sardinian diet differs from the Mediterranean diet in that it has less carbohydrates and more dairy based protein. It has low levels of sugar but moderate amounts of full bodied red wine.

Not everybody is sure that the reason why there are many centenarians in central Sardinia is due to their diet and many scientists believe that it has more to do with a unique genetic pool which has developed on its own without mixing with outsiders. It is also possible that the relaxed way of life found in many parts of Sardinia could contribute the lower levels of heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses that shorten life.

Maybe scientists should be looking at the genetic makeup of families who produce many centenarians and examining whether they have any specific longevity genes which could provide clues.

The Mediterranean diet has been shown to boost longevity in all types of individuals irrespective of their genes and is the first diet to be recognized as intangible heritage by UNESCO.  The Mediterranean diet which is thousands of years old is not only healthy but is probably the most tasty diet on the planet which allows moderate amounts of fat as well as a large variety of different foodstuffs.