During the study, the women completed health questionnaires every six months for the first year and every year thereafter. In addition to blood tests, the researchers used a 131-question food frequency questionnaire to give each participant a Mediterranean diet score based on their diet and consumption of vegetables (excluding potatoes), fruits, nuts, whole grains, and legumes. And fish.
Points are also given for eating healthy fats, cutting back on red and processed meat and reducing alcohol intake by five to 15 grams per day (roughly one five-ounce glass of wine, 12-ounce beer or 1.5-ounce drink). .
The researchers found that people who strictly followed the Mediterranean diet had a 23 percent lower overall risk of death during the study period. About 3,900 participants died during the study, 935 from cardiovascular disease and 1,531 from cancer.
It is important to emphasize that the benefit was seen for cancer and cardiovascular mortality, which are the leading causes of death in women in general. said Samia Morasenior author of the study and director of the Center for Lipid Metabolomics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Because the participants in the study were primarily non-Hispanic white men, the researchers acknowledge that the findings may be limited.
This article is part of The Post’s “Big Numbers” series, which briefly examines the statistical side of health issues. Additional information and related research are available via hyperlinks.