Health News: British Medical Journal study finds Mediterranean diet may lead to longer life span

This Quail has been spreading the word about the link between eating well and wellness for a long time. When the British Medical Journal published a compelling study that the Mediterranean diet may support a longer life span in its impact on telomere length, I just couldn't keep it to myself!

Telomeres mark the aging process. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of extra virgin olive oils may support longer telomeres, in addition to many other health benefits.

Here is the introduction from the study and a link to British Medical Journal:

"Given that fruits, vegetables, and nuts, key components of the Mediterranean diet, have well known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and that telomere length is affected by both of these processes, we hypothesized that greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet would be associated with longer telomere length. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to examine the association between greater adherence
to the Mediterranean diet and leukocyte telomere length in US women within the Nurses’ Health Study cohort. For comparison, we also evaluated the association between other existing dietary patters (prudent pattern, Western pattern, and Alternative Healthy Eating Index) and leukocyte telomere length."

Read the article here