Will a Mediterranean diet help you live longer?
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Not too different. Except for the tofu part.fategrapes164 wrote: »Is the Med diet have any similarities with the Okinawa diet?
http://www.okicent.org
Some interesting stats there.0 -
But so are Turkey, Egypt and a few others that border the Mediterranean and have obesity issues which would reduce longevity. Obviously their diets are much different, but I don't think that just bordering the Mediterranean would default as being a diet that's nutritious and essential. Semantics maybe, but as I mentioned earlier genetics will have a much higher factor on longevity than most anything else if all diets were equal.Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
France, Israel and Spain are also among the "mediterranean countries". So four of the 10, not that it matters, really.Genetics and other factors besides food will help to dictate longevity. In fact from birth the highest life expectancy top 10 are: Switzerland, Italy, Japan, Iceland, Spain, France, Australia, Sweden, Israel, and Norway. With the exception of Italy, the other 10 don't follow the Mediterranean diet.
http://247wallst.com/special-report/2013/12/02/ten-countries-where-people-live-longest/2/
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Of note, the U.S. with the S.A.D. is NOT on the list of longest living hmm, go figure.
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Quite trying to fight superstition with science.0
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lemurcat12 wrote: »This study has nothing to do with the culture, though. They took women in the Nurses Study, scored them on how closely they adhered to various diets (ways of eating) and then compared to the group as a whole. The Med diet is generally defined as I described above but without the specifics or how the compared diets were defined, which I think are important.
Oh, I am aware of that! And most studies haven't, in fact, focussing simply on the nutrition aspect. I was just noting that the Med Diet is not a way of eating that was designed specifically to be healthy, but something that developed as part of different cultures.
Speaking of the study, do we have access to the study other than the video? because that would ask a lot of questions...fategrapes164 wrote: »Is the Med diet have any similarities with the Okinawa diet?
Maybe in very broad strokes - lots of veggies and grains and little animal products, fish preferred over meat. Soy beans count as a legume, so that is in there as well. Obviously ingredient-wise they will be miles (pun not intended) apart though.0 -
If all diets were equal.
But so are Turkey, Egypt and a few others that border the Mediterranean and have obesity issues which would reduce longevity. Obviously their diets are much different, but I don't think that just bordering the Mediterranean would default as being a diet that's nutritious and essential. Semantics maybe, but as I mentioned earlier genetics will have a much higher factor on longevity than most anything else if all diets were equal.Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
France, Israel and Spain are also among the "mediterranean countries". So four of the 10, not that it matters, really.Genetics and other factors besides food will help to dictate longevity. In fact from birth the highest life expectancy top 10 are: Switzerland, Italy, Japan, Iceland, Spain, France, Australia, Sweden, Israel, and Norway. With the exception of Italy, the other 10 don't follow the Mediterranean diet.
http://247wallst.com/special-report/2013/12/02/ten-countries-where-people-live-longest/2/
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Of note, the U.S. with the S.A.D. is NOT on the list of longest living hmm, go figure.
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Well my mom is 88 and in good health. Doesn't do much exercise and hardly eats anything close to a Mediterranean diet. She doesn't over eat much though. Lots of her food is Filipino culture food which is usually high in fat and salt. I will say she's reduced her rice portions.Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
If all diets were equal.
But so are Turkey, Egypt and a few others that border the Mediterranean and have obesity issues which would reduce longevity. Obviously their diets are much different, but I don't think that just bordering the Mediterranean would default as being a diet that's nutritious and essential. Semantics maybe, but as I mentioned earlier genetics will have a much higher factor on longevity than most anything else if all diets were equal.Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
France, Israel and Spain are also among the "mediterranean countries". So four of the 10, not that it matters, really.Genetics and other factors besides food will help to dictate longevity. In fact from birth the highest life expectancy top 10 are: Switzerland, Italy, Japan, Iceland, Spain, France, Australia, Sweden, Israel, and Norway. With the exception of Italy, the other 10 don't follow the Mediterranean diet.
http://247wallst.com/special-report/2013/12/02/ten-countries-where-people-live-longest/2/
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Of note, the U.S. with the S.A.D. is NOT on the list of longest living hmm, go figure.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Contrast that to my English uncle who's in his 70's and eats much "cleaner" (high fiber) than my mother, plus exercises daily however his health has steadily been deteriorating. His father died at 72.
So while diet may have a positive impact nutritionally for many, health and longevity have so many other factors that affect it.
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition[/quote]
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I see the mad flagger is at it again. I swear someone has no life. Anyway, my doctor advocates this type of diet. She feels that it keeps your arteries unclogged and your blood sugar normal (as much as any diet can do so.)0
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Well my mom is 88 and in good health. Doesn't do much exercise and hardly eats anything close to a Mediterranean diet. She doesn't over eat much though. Lots of her food is Filipino culture food which is usually high in fat and salt. I will say she's reduced her rice portions.Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
If all diets were equal.
But so are Turkey, Egypt and a few others that border the Mediterranean and have obesity issues which would reduce longevity. Obviously their diets are much different, but I don't think that just bordering the Mediterranean would default as being a diet that's nutritious and essential. Semantics maybe, but as I mentioned earlier genetics will have a much higher factor on longevity than most anything else if all diets were equal.Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
France, Israel and Spain are also among the "mediterranean countries". So four of the 10, not that it matters, really.Genetics and other factors besides food will help to dictate longevity. In fact from birth the highest life expectancy top 10 are: Switzerland, Italy, Japan, Iceland, Spain, France, Australia, Sweden, Israel, and Norway. With the exception of Italy, the other 10 don't follow the Mediterranean diet.
http://247wallst.com/special-report/2013/12/02/ten-countries-where-people-live-longest/2/
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Of note, the U.S. with the S.A.D. is NOT on the list of longest living hmm, go figure.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Contrast that to my English uncle who's in his 70's and eats much "cleaner" (high fiber) than my mother, plus exercises daily however his health has steadily been deteriorating. His father died at 72.
So while diet may have a positive impact nutritionally for many, health and longevity have so many other factors that affect it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I'll agree with this. My grandfather ate white bread, pasta, potato chips, steak, pie, cake, fried dough, pizza, bacon, eggs, burgers, hot dogs, and on and on. Smoked a pipe, drank his wine and beer. Drank both regular and diet soda. He lived to 92. There's way more to living long and healthy than just individual food choices.0 -
GingerbreadCandy wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »This study has nothing to do with the culture, though. They took women in the Nurses Study, scored them on how closely they adhered to various diets (ways of eating) and then compared to the group as a whole. The Med diet is generally defined as I described above but without the specifics or how the compared diets were defined, which I think are important.
Oh, I am aware of that! And most studies haven't, in fact, focussing simply on the nutrition aspect. I was just noting that the Med Diet is not a way of eating that was designed specifically to be healthy, but something that developed as part of different cultures.
Speaking of the study, do we have access to the study other than the video? because that would ask a lot of questions...fategrapes164 wrote: »Is the Med diet have any similarities with the Okinawa diet?
Maybe in very broad strokes - lots of veggies and grains and little animal products, fish preferred over meat. Soy beans count as a legume, so that is in there as well. Obviously ingredient-wise they will be miles (pun not intended) apart though.
It's the differences in the various "healthy" diets they examined that seems to be most interesting, although unlikely to lead to much that is conclusive. People seem to want to claim the Med diet as the way they eat, but I'd be curious to see (as I said before) how it was actually scored vs. the other diets identified.
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Not to mention any study where they have extrapolated what a Med diet actually is, is probably a fail as far as what the 22 Countries actually eat on a daily basis.......I doubt anyone other than people that live in those Countries actually benefit from their indigenous diets because it's instringently attached at the hip with their lifestyles , well that would be true in every Country in any locale wouldn't it. Comparing diets is a fruitless endevour.0
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lemurcat12 wrote: »GingerbreadCandy wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »This study has nothing to do with the culture, though. They took women in the Nurses Study, scored them on how closely they adhered to various diets (ways of eating) and then compared to the group as a whole. The Med diet is generally defined as I described above but without the specifics or how the compared diets were defined, which I think are important.
Oh, I am aware of that! And most studies haven't, in fact, focussing simply on the nutrition aspect. I was just noting that the Med Diet is not a way of eating that was designed specifically to be healthy, but something that developed as part of different cultures.
Speaking of the study, do we have access to the study other than the video? because that would ask a lot of questions...fategrapes164 wrote: »Is the Med diet have any similarities with the Okinawa diet?
Maybe in very broad strokes - lots of veggies and grains and little animal products, fish preferred over meat. Soy beans count as a legume, so that is in there as well. Obviously ingredient-wise they will be miles (pun not intended) apart though.
It's the differences in the various "healthy" diets they examined that seems to be most interesting, although unlikely to lead to much that is conclusive. People seem to want to claim the Med diet as the way they eat, but I'd be curious to see (as I said before) how it was actually scored vs. the other diets identified.
I had a quick look at the study, and it seems that they explain this under "Dietary Assessment". It seems they used a food frequency questionnaire, which based on what I am reading means they identified certain foods typical of the four diets they were analysing (which were Med Diet, the "prudent diet", the Western Diet, and the Alternative Healthy Eating Index) and rather how often they were eating. Unfortunately, it seems that none of the articles detailing how the questionnaires are structures is free to read. I can ask my boyfriend though to give me access when he's back, if you are really interested.
As I said earlier, I did take the Med Diet questionnaire before, which unfortunately I can't find anymore, but the questions were among the lines of "do you eat fish at least once a weak?" and "how many fruits and vegetables do you eat every day?". Obviously phrased in a less biased way. In the end, the programme added up your points0 -
I get dizzy reading these threads.
Carry on folks, carry on.0
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