Alcohol Key in Mediterranean Diet

Active Ingredient Promotes Greeks' Longevity

The British Medical Journal is reporting that alcohol may be the most important "active ingredient" of a Mediterranean diet.

After alcohol, lots of vegetables, fruits and nuts, plus low meat consumption, were the most important factors in the health benefits seen in the BMJ analysis.

Alcohol Affects Longevity

Moderate alcohol use may account for 23.5% of the Mediterranean diet's longevity effect, according to Dimitrios Trichopoulos, MD, PhD of Harvard and colleagues.

But even without alcohol, the Mediterranean diet seems to contribute significantly to a long life. Low intake of meat and meat products contributed 16.6% of the longevity effect in Dr. Trichopoulos' analysis; high vegetable intake contributed 16.2%; high fruit and nut consumption, 11.2%; high monounsaturated-to-saturated fat intake, 10.6%; high intake of legumes, 9.7%; high cereal intake, 6.1%; while low dairy consumption contributed only 4.5% to the longevity benefits of the diet.

Eating more fish and seafood than average was associated with an insignificant increase in the risk of mortality. The better the diet was followed, the lower the rate of all-cause mortality.

The Mediterranean Diet & the Analysis

A Mediterranean diet is rich in vegetables, fruits, grains, cereals, nuts, legumes, olive oil and fish, with moderate intake of red wine with meals. The diet is also low in red meat, dairy products and alcohol.

Dr. Trichopoulos analyzed the Greek cohort in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. The EPIC study's Greek portion included 23,349 adults with no previous history of cancer, heart disease, or diabetes. Complete nutritional information and an average 8.5 years of follow-up data on each participant were collected by the researchers.

Moderate alcohol intake was defined as 10 to <50 grams a day: one to five drinks per day for men; and half of that for women. Drinking less than, or more than, moderately was not associated with significant reductions in mortality.

Primary Source: BMJ

Source Reference: Trichopoulou A, et al "Anatomy of health effects of Mediterranean diet: Greek EPIC prospective cohort study" BMJ 2009; 338: b2337.

Secondary Sources: MedPageToday & ABC News