Mediterranean Diet Linked to Better Quality of Life

Adhering to a Mediterranean diet may increase quality of life, according to a new study.

The Mediterranean diet is based on the healthy eating and lifestyle habits of the people living in southern Italy, the Greek island of Crete and other areas of Greece in the early 1960s. The diet is rich in heart-healthy fiber and nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. The diet generally includes: fruits, vegetables and unsaturated "good" fats, particularly olive oil. Olive oil has been associated with benefits such as lower blood pressure and a lower risk for heart disease. In addition, olive oil may benefit people with type 2 diabetes.

In a new study, researchers analyzed food questionnaire data on 11,015 individuals from the SUN Project. Adherence to a Mediterranean diet was scored as low, low-moderate, moderate-high and high throughout the four year follow-up period. Quality of life was also evaluated through questionnaires.

The researchers found that adhering to the Mediterranean diet was significantly linked to increased mental and physical health, including social interactions and emotional health. The authors noted that individuals who began adhering to the Mediterranean diet after the start of the study saw significant improvements in their quality of life.

The authors concluded that maintaining a Mediterranean diet may be directly linked to better quality of life. Further well-designed clinical trials are necessary.

Dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids include fish oil and certain plant and nut oils. Fish oil contains both docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), while some nuts (such as English walnuts) and vegetable oils (such as canola, soybean, flaxseed, linseed and olive oils) contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).

There is supportive evidence from multiple studies that suggests the intake of recommended amounts of DHA and EPA in the form of dietary fish or fish oil supplements lowers triglycerides; reduces the risk of death, heart attack, dangerous abnormal heart rhythms and strokes in people with known cardiovascular disease; slows the buildup of atherosclerotic plaques ("hardening of the arteries") and lowers blood pressure slightly. However, high doses may have harmful effects, such as an increased risk of bleeding. Although similar benefits have been proposed for alpha-linolenic acid, the scientific evidence is less compelling, and the beneficial effects may be less pronounced.

For more information about the Mediterranean diet, please visit Natural Standard's Health & Wellness Database.

For more information about the omega-3 fatty acids, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements Database.

Comments

[ks]

What a healthy diet! It makes sense that this diet could increase quality of life since the food is both delicious and healthy. I know whenever I eat healthy and exercise I always feel great, so sticking to this type of diet would be a good step for many Americans.

[nh]

I read an article similar to this that spoke about the increased health qualities seen in Mediterranean people who eat diets high in fish and healthier oils. Back then, I was a bit skeptical but the data keeps pouring in about how this diet can improve health outcomes. The best thing about a Mediterranean diet is that it is easy to follow and the food can be delicious. The great thing about this study is not only that it showed increased physical health consequences such as high blood pressure and diabetes but that it also can increase mental health.

[AB]

At least 16 countries border the Mediterranean sea and they all have variations in their diets. The most common characteristics are: high consumption of fruits, vegetables, bread and cereal, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds; olive oil (an important monounsaturated fat); dairy products, fish and poultry consumed in low to moderate amounts and little red meat; eggs consumed four times a week at most; and wine consumed in low to moderate amounts.

[UP]

This is awesome! Not only is the Mediterranean diet healthier, their lifestyle is less stressful and a bit healthier as well since they walk much more than the average person in the US. The cardiovascular benefits are great as well because of the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the US. I believe many people who want to keep their weight healthy and at a good spot could try the Mediterranean diet.

[gwanbobmuga-gdc]

The Mediterranean diet works for my family and me. It is an important factor associated with better quality of life and every family can consider it as a healthy food model.
The diet is characterized by regular intake of fruit, vegetables, pulses, fish, olive oil and nuts, and has been proven to lessen the chances of chronic illness. An easy way to know how healthy you are eating is by the number of colors on your plate. The more colors the better. This diet has lots of beneficial effects on health, most specifically in relation to chronic diseases. It is very logical to believe that the healthier your life style, the more you increase your life span.

[DD]

Since the Mediterranean diet is often referred to as a “heart healthy diet,” I’ve read many studies on this diet in association with cardiovascular diseases. However, not many studies focus on “quality of life,” which I believe is an important factor when calculating the risk specific individuals have of contracting many diseases. As someone has said in a previous comment, it would be interesting to see this study being done on American students. I have just recently returned from my first trip to Europe and it is staggering how different some personality traits are there! I think that personality plays a huge role in getting people to stick to the diet for an extended period of time and it would be much harder for people in the US.

[EM]

The benefits of omega-3 fatty acids are without question. I, also, question the practicality of this diet in Western culture though. In addition to the reasons already mentioned, there simply are not enough fish in the world right now to sustain a diet like this. The Environmental and Global Health database has a great section on fishing that brings to light the current issues of fish depletion and exploitation, as well as fish farming and aquaculture practices.

[JW]

This study is very interesting. I have previously read studies about Mediterranean diet and helping with problems such as blood pressure and being heart healthy. This article also talks about emotional and social interaction benefits. I have never heard of this before and I think it puts an interesting twist to the study. When recommending a diet to someone, Mediterranean diet would be a good option and now can let people know that it will not only be heart healthy but may be emotionally healthy as well.

[Charles]

Very interesting that the study was only conducted in Spain on Spanish graduates. I wonder what the result would be if a group of American graduates were exposed to a strong Mediterranean diet over the course of many months. Perhaps one might see these beneficial effects, but there's a chance that they may not appear as well.

[Emily]

One thing I wonder after reading this post is how much emphasis is placed on fish and meat in the Mediterranean diet. Although the diet is never explicitly stated to include fish, the benefits of fish oil are mentioned later on. The diet seems healthy, but from the description, rather devoid of protein from the description of "fruits, vegetables and unsaturated "good" fats."

[LB]

I love olive oil too but people tend to forget that olive oil is exceptionally dense. Extra virgin olive oil still contains 120 calories per tbsp, it's still better than butter or lard but it will get stored as fat if you aren't working it off. cooking on a lower heat and covering the dish is a good way to use less oil when cooking but the key is always a balanced diet and exercise.

[KM]

I agree with LT! It's also a great diet to adopt if your looking to keep weight off after you've lost it. That coupled with the fact that it has a ton of health benefits (as mentioned by both Jared and LT) will help people to live not only a healthier life, but a longer one too! Another added benefit of this diet I read, is that it uses a lot of foods rich in fiber which means that you'll feel full throughout the day!

[Maha Islami]

I definitely agree with this. Research shows strong evidence that the omega-3s EPA and DHA can boost heart health and lower triglycerides. And there are studies showing that omega-3 fatty acids may help with other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, depression.

[Jared]

The main "good fats" that olive oil contains are monounsaturated fatty acids. These fats may cause a decrease in LDLs (your body's bad cholesterol) and an increase in HDLs (your body's good cholesterol), which is one reason why this diet is considered healthy. Lowering LDLs has been shown to reduce a person's risk for atherosclerosis, while increasing HDLs has been shown to reduce overall heart disease risk.

[CT]

The Mediterranean Diet is great! It is based on fresh foods and vegetables just like the Paleo diet. The Paleo diet involves eating foods that are fresh such as those growing from the ground or those you have to kill. It makes sense that the Mediterranean Diet also derived from Italians because they use a lot of olive oil as well.

[Jared]

I wonder how quality of life is effected for Americans on this diet. I can see how it would have substantial health benefits, but I wonder how difficult it would be to follow this diet based on the fact that Mediterranean food is less available here. Also, I know that if I followed a strict diet like this and had to turn down food at summer BBQs or at certain restaurants, I might enjoy myself less at these places.

[CL]

Olive oil is incredibly heart healthy and I now use it instead of vegetable oil. Looking at the olive monograph on Natural Standard, olive is a very useful plant! In addition to the heart healthy properties of the oil, the leaves contain antioxidants and may also have antibacterial and antifungal properties.

[LT]

The Mediterranean diet does consist of various healthy choices. In addition to providing a better quality of life and promoting heart health, it has been shown to have a role in cancer prevention. This was studied in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention. The proposed mechanism for the protective effect of the Mediterranean diet on cancer therapy is that it is a diet that is rich in fiber, antioxidants, and polyphenols commonly abundant in fruits and vegetables.

[Luke B]

The Mediterranean diet has long been associated with both supported and unsupported health claims. Much of the research has been done on claims specific to certain disease states so it's nice to see a long term study done on the broader picture of Health-related quality of life.

The study was done on 11,015 university graduates from Spain. I'm curious if the data could be representative of other demographics where metabolic pathways and a long history of different diets could have resulted in significantly different biological parameters. That being said I personally think most people(my self included) could benefit from this type diet.

[maha]

This is great. I definitely agree with this. Mediterranean food comes from 21 countries such as Italy ,France,Spain,Greece,Turkey,Lebanon and other. The food is healthy because it consists primarily on fresh fruit and vegetables.