Mediterranean Diet Extends Lives

The Mediterranean diet—rich in fish, fruits, vegetables, and nuts but low in meat and dairy—could help Americans live longer, Reuters reports. Adults whose diets were closest to the Mediterranean ideal were 21% less likely to die over a 5-year period than those whose diets were least Mediterranean-like, according to a new study involving nearly 400,000 people.

The benefit of the diet was especially strong for normal-weight smokers, who nearly halved their risk of death. "These results provide strong evidence for a beneficial effect of higher conformity with the Mediterranean dietary pattern on risk of death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease and cancer, in a US population," said the lead researcher. (More Dr. Panagiota N. Mitrou stories.)