Eating a Mediterranean diet may be your key to living longer. That’s according to a new study led by Immaculata De Vivo, associate professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School.
The diet involves eating items off a menu that is rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans and peas, unrefined grains, olive oil and fish. It keeps dairy, meat and saturated fats to a minimum. And you can have a glass of red wine with dinner without cheating.
The diet has been consistently linked with health benefits that includes helping you manage your weight, and it can lower your risk for chronic issues such as cardiovascular disease.
A recent study found women who ate a Mediterranean diet had longer telomeres.
I – Word Understanding
unrefined – minimally processed, rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber
saturated fats – A fat that is solid at room temperature, comes chiefly from animal food and tends to raise the level of cholesterol in the blood.
telomeres – a region of repetitive DNA at the end of a chromosome, which protects the end of the chromosome from deterioration.
II – Have Your Say
1. Did you know? Even in healthy people, telomeres shorten with age.
* Shorter telomeres are associated with aging, lower life expectancy and age-related diseases
* Smoking, being obese and too much sugar can prematurely shorten telomeres
2. Unlike most diets, the Mediterranean diet wasn’t conceived to promote massive weight loss but because it is directly correlated with good health. Here are some things to know about mediterranean diet and how Mediterraneans stay healthy:
* It is cheaper than serving dishes of meat, cheese and processed foods.
* Red wine (1 glass for women/ 2 glasses for men) is good for your heart but anything more has the opposite effect.
* Mediterraneans don’t eat a heap of pasta the way Americans do. Pasta is just a side dish.
* Physical labor plays a large role for Mediterraneans to stay healthy.
* Mediterraneans sit down for a relaxed, leisurely meals with others.
