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Subscribe to CNN’s Eat, But Better: Mediterranean Style. Our comprehensive guide offers a flavorful and healthy Mediterranean eating plan for lifelong health benefits.
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A new study tracking over 25,000 women for 25 years found that those who closely adhered to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/03/health/best-diet-2024-wellness/index.html" rel="noopener">Mediterranean diet</a> lived significantly longer than those who did not.
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The senior author of the study, Dr. Samia Mora, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, highlighted that following a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/01/health/mediterranean-diet-recipes-wellness/index.html" rel="noopener">Mediterranean dietary pattern</a> could reduce the risk of death by about a quarter over a span of more than 25 years, benefiting both cancer and cardiovascular mortality, the leading causes of death.
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The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/newsletters/eat-but-better" rel="noopener">Mediterranean diet</a> emphasizes simple, plant-based cooking, with meals centered around fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and seeds, along with a moderate intake of nuts and a significant use of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/19/health/olive-oil-healthiest-quality-wellness/index.html" rel="noopener">extra-virgin olive oil</a>. Butter and other fats are consumed in limited quantities, while sugar and processed foods are discouraged.
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The consumption of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/03/health/red-meat-processed-meat-chicken-fish-health-risks-wellness/index.html" rel="noopener">red meat</a> is limited, primarily used for flavoring. The diet encourages the intake of healthy, oily fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, while eggs, dairy, and poultry are consumed in smaller portions compared to the typical Western diet.
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Dr. David Katz, an expert in preventive and lifestyle medicine and founder of the nonprofit <a target="_blank" href="https://www.truehealthinitiative.org/" rel="noopener">True Health Initiative</a>, noted that adherence to the Mediterranean diet in the study represented a higher diet quality, characterized by increased consumption of legumes, vegetables, fruits, and decreased intake of meats and processed foods.
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Although the study was observational and unable to establish direct cause and effect, Dr. Katz highlighted the findings' consistency with numerous other studies on the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet.
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Katz further suggested that a high-quality diet likely played a crucial role in reducing the risk of death, a conclusion supported by the study's outcome.
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The Mediterranean diet has been scientifically praised for its various health benefits: It may lower the risk of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/07/health/mediterranean-diet-breast-cancer-study-food/index.html" rel="noopener">breast cancer</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/17/health/mediterranean-style-diet-prevents-dementia/index.html" rel="noopener">dementia</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/26/health/mediterranean-diet-depression-study-intl/index.html" rel="noopener">depression</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/22/health/plant-based-diet-diabetes-study/index.html" rel="noopener">diabetes</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/08/29/health/mediterranean-diet-statin-study/index.html" rel="noopener">high cholesterol</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2015/10/21/health/mediterranean-diet-healthier-brain/index.html" rel="noopener">memory loss</a>. Following this diet can also promote <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/28/health/mediterranean-diet-wins-again-helps-bones/index.html" rel="noopener">bone strength</a>, and [add more text here...]
</p>A healthier heart and longer life. It’s also good for healthy weight loss.
In all that data, however, are few details on the specific ways the Mediterranean diet may affect women, especially long-term. That’s important, experts say, because women are not little men.
A woman’s brain works differently on a molecular level than a man’s brain. The size of a woman’s heart may differ from a man’s, and women have completely different symptoms for a heart attack than men. Women metabolize alcohol and medications differently than men. And then there’s the obvious difference of menarche and menopause, which creates an entire class of health risks specific to women.
In the new study, published Friday in the journal JAMA Network Open, researchers asked 25,315 healthy women participating in the Women’s Health Study about their diet and collected blood and other biomarkers between 1993 and 1996. Those women were reevaluated between 2018 and 2023.
Not only did closely following the Mediterranean diet cut the risk of early death by 23%, it lessened the risk of dying from cancer by 17% and dying from cardiovascular disease by 20%, the study found.
“There was a graded stepwise increase in benefit — the more committed the more benefit,” said lead author Shafqat Ahmad, an associate professor of molecular epidemiology at Uppsala University in Sweden, in an email.
Each increase in adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a 6% lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 5% reduced risk of dying from either heart disease or cancer, Ahmad said.
“What might be worth noting is that the adherence measure ‘corrects’ for distortions of the Mediterranean diet,” Katz said. “In the US, simply adding olive oil to French fries might result in someone claiming to be ‘on’ the Mediterranean diet.”
However, the study corrects for distortions by looking at all the “key features of a ‘true’ Mediterranean diet, and thus precludes that kind of misrepresentation,” Katz said.
It’s not hard to incorporate a Mediterranean style of eating into your life, experts say. Start by adding more veggies and legumes to each meal and use all kinds and colors to get the broadest range of nutrients, phytochemicals, and fiber. Cook, roast or garnish them with herbs and a bit of extra-virgin olive oil.
Add whole grains and fruit to every meal, but use nuts and seeds as a garnish or small snack because of their higher calorie and fat content.
Cut way back on the use of red meat. Instead turn to fish and other seafood, which are often consumed at least twice a week. Get as much protein as you can from beans and other legumes. Start with one bean-based meal a week, then add two and build your nonmeat meals from there.
Mix in cheese and yogurt daily to weekly in moderate portions. Chicken, pork, and eggs are OK on occasion. Keep sweets for special occasions and satisfy your sweet tooth with fresh and frozen fruit.
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