This diet, rich in olive oil, fish, and plant foods, as well as a glass of wine with meals could be the answer to a moderately longer life span.
From a study of 4,676 women, it was found that those women with eating habits closest to that of the Mediterranean diet had longer telomeres, and it is known that shorter telomeres are associated with a lower life expectancy, and a greater risk of cancer and heart disease.
While there are lifestyle factors such as obesity, sugary sodas, and smoking which have been found to affect telomere shortening, the results from this Harvard Nurses’ Health Study suggest that the Mediterranean diet can slow this shortening.
Another smaller clinical trial which lengthened participants cell telomeres was with men in their 50s and 60s who over a five year period adopted lifestyle changes such as a vegan diet, taking fish oil supplements, and engaging in regular exercise and meditation. Similar results were found of women that followed healthy diets, eating chicken, low-fat dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and legumes. While both of these studies reveal the impact of leading a healthy lifestyle, it was found that Mediterranean diet followers possessed the longest telomeres on average.
I’ve included some beautiful recipes below for you to try out, and here is a quick pyramid guide for the Mediterranean diet:
