The Best Diet for Life

The Mediterranean diet is among the most highly recommended eating plans. But which of its components brings the biggest benefits? In a recent study in the British Medical Journal, researchers tracked 23,000 adults in Greece.

They found that eating a lot of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes (like beans and peas) had the greatest impact on increasing longevity. Also associated with a longer lifespan: consuming moderate amounts of alcohol and less meat. Surprisingly, a high intake of cereals and seafood had little to no positive effect.

In related research, a study in the Archives of Neurology showed that the Mediterranean diet reduced people’s risk of experiencing dementia or of its progressing.

In a group of adults with no dementia symptoms at the study’s start, those who most closely adhered to the Mediterranean diet had a 28% lower risk of developing cognitive impairment. In a group that already had impairment, the people who best followed the plan had a 48% lower risk of getting full-blown Alzheimer’s disease.