Mediterranean diets rich in nuts, oils and leafy greens lower the risk of early death in women

According to a study, adhering to the Mediterranean diet can reduce a woman’s chance of early death by almost a quarter.

In the study of more than 700,000 women, the famous diet reduced a woman’s chance of dying from any cause by 23 percent. Australian researchers also highlighted a similar drop in deaths from heart disease and stroke.

Rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, fish and olive oil, the diet has been praised for its brain-boosting and heart-boosting effects in recent years.

A study just last week found it might even lower a person’s risk of developing dementia.

Researchers found that women who ate the Mediterranean diet — high in fish, nuts and vegetables — were 23 percent less likely to die from any cause in a given year (file photo)

The Mediterranean diet has been called the “gold standard” by experts. Some have even declared it as a form of preventive medicine.

It got on American doctors’ radars in the 1950s when reports of low rates of chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s and heart disease began to surface.

Further research revealed that the typical diet of the people of the area played a role in their excellent health.

Since then, a growing body of research has confirmed the benefits of a diet rich in vegetables and healthy fats.

However, not much research has been done on whether one sex may benefit more from diet than the other.

For their research, published in the journal Heart, a team from the University of Sydney combined data from 16 studies published between 2003 and 2021.

The studies, primarily from the US and Europe, included data from hundreds of thousands of women ages 18 and older.

Their cardiovascular health was monitored for an average of 12.5 years.

Adhering to a Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 24 percent, researchers found.

It also lowered the odds of death from any cause by 23 percent. The risk of coronary artery disease was 25 percent lower and the likelihood of suffering a stroke was lower.

However, the reason why this diet is particularly beneficial for women is unknown.

The author of the study, Dr. Sarah Zaman, one of the study’s authors, said: “The mechanisms explaining the gender-specific effect of the Mediterranean diet on cardiovascular disease and death remain unclear.

“Female-specific cardiovascular risk factors, including premature menopause, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes, or risk factors prevalent in women, such as systemic lupus, can all independently increase cardiovascular disease risk.

“It’s possible that preventive measures, such as a Mediterranean diet that targets risk factors for inflammation and cardiovascular disease, may have different effects in women than in men.”

Cardiovascular diseases are responsible for more than a third of all deaths in women worldwide.

However, many clinical studies and research papers include relatively few women and do not often report results by gender.

Even the current guidelines for the best possible reduction in cardiovascular disease do not differentiate between genders.

This latest study calls for more gender-specific research to guide clinical practice in heart health.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk