American scientists have named an effective way to prolong life in adulthood. The corresponding study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, briefly reported by Harvard University (USA).
Experts have shown that a gradual transition to a healthy diet based on the use of foods from whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and fish, together with a simultaneous reduction in the proportion of red meat and sugar drinks, significantly reduce the risk of premature death.
Experts believe the Mediterranean Diet and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) are the most appropriate eating patterns.
Scientists tracked changes in eating habits of about 74 thousand adults over a 12-year period (1986-1998), after which the same group of people analyzed the occurrence in the next 12 years (1998-2010) of factors associated with the risk of premature death. The authors took the necessary materials from two long-term studies.
The analysis showed that improvements in diet quality over a 12-year period were associated with a decrease in the risk of mortality over the next 12 years. Replacing one daily serving of red meat with nuts or legumes reduced the risk of death from any cause by 8-17 percent.
The Mediterranean diet is high in vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes (peas, beans and lentils), unrefined olive oil and fish. Such a diet almost excludes foods containing saturated fat, in particular dairy products, meat and poultry. Moderate wine consumption is also often included in the Mediterranean diet.
In June, American and Italian scientists discovered the main ingredient in the Mediterranean diet that promotes brain health: olive oil.