According to a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, women who eat a Mediterranean diet in their 50s are substantially less likely—by roughly 40 percent—to develop chronic diseases and ailments linked to memory loss.
The Mediterranean diet is actually not a single diet but a collection of several cuisines that share some important elements and which have been shown to reduce rates of heart disease and obesity. A Mediterranean diet incorporates fruits, vegetables, fish — plus a splash of flavorful olive oil and perhaps even an occasional glass of red wine. And it ranks third on the U.S. News list.
By tracking more than 10,000 middle-aged women over a 15-year period, researchers concluded that the onset of Parkinson’s, cancer, and several other diseases were significantly impacted by diet. In fact, according to NPR, Meir Stampfer, the study’s co-author, was “surprised by the magnitude of the effects” of a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, fruit, nuts, and fish.
Although practitioners of healthy living have been aware of how much a plant-based diet can reboot the body, clear brain fog, trim the physique, and elevate mood, studies designed to test this theory are ongoing and continue to confirm the health benefits of intaking more omega 3s, avoiding red meat, and increasing fiber.
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- Tags: Cancer, chronic disease, fiber, mediterranean diet, omega 3, parkinsons
