Olive Oil

Have we heard it often enough? Do we need to hear this 10 million more times to the power of infinity?

EAT A MEDITERRANEAN DIET FOR A HEALTHIER AND LONGER LIFE!

Harvard researchers, studying a group of 26,000 Greek men and women, recently found that merely adopting a few fundamentals of the Mediterranean diet was beneficial. The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, concluded this alone could cut cancer risk by 12 percent.

Simply consuming olive oil in your diet could reduce cancer risk by 9 percent.

The study participants, the Greek segment of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), lowered their incidence of cancer the most when following the traditional Mediterranean diet closely.

Scores of studies have linked health and longevity in countries like Spain and Greece to consumption of vegetables, fish, olive oil and an occasional glass of wine (all while relaxing with family or friends).

According to the American Heart Association, characteristics of a Mediterranean diet include the following:

  • high consumption of fruits, vegetables, breads and other cereals, potatoes, beans, nuts, and seeds
  • olive oil
  • moderate consumption of fish and shellfish and lower amounts of meat and meat products
  • dairy products and eggs in low to moderate amounts
  • moderate consumption of wine

If most of the fat calories in a diet come from the monosaturated fats in olive oil, then this is significantly contributing to a decrease in the risk of cancer. And, of course, heart disease. Maybe, even aging and intestinal and stomach disorders.

Based on the EPIC study, dietary characteristics of the Mediterranean diet are strongly associated with health benefits. So, how strong is the link with quality of life characteristics, such as laughing more and sharing your worries with compadres?

Could adopting Mediterranean quality of life characteristics decrease a person’s risk of cancer by at least 9 percent, equivalent to adding olive oil to the diet?